Gurgaon Area Program

The Gurgaon community gets its name from a growing city just outside of New Delhi. Although the city itself has become known as the "call center capital of the world", this community is one of the poorest. Life here bears little resemblance to the success of the nearby city.

The community has grown up on the hillsides around the city. Families are generally unskilled migrants who have come to the city in search of a better life. 80% are from Scheduled Castes, formerly called "untouchables", and still bear the stigma of caste discrimination. Families live in small thatched houses with little access to clean water and good sanitation. Unemployment and underemployment are common, and most people work as day labourers for an average of 10-15 days a month. Child labour is very common. Alcohol and drug addiction, as well as increasing levels of prostitution, are also evident in the community.

Education
With only one public primary school in Gurgaon, many children, especially girls, are not able to get a good education. The school environment is poor and not child-friendly, and teachers often lack training.

As a result, there is a high dropout rate, and many children go to work to help their families instead of attending school. Many parents are illiterate themselves, and often do not see the importance of education, especially for their girls. As a result, larger numbers of girls are kept at home to do chores or babysit younger siblings.

Few children continue on to middle or high school, especially since neither one is available in the community. Girls are at a greater disadvantage because parents fear for their safety, and are unwilling to let them attend school outside of the community. Without an education, children are unable to take advantage of many opportunities.

Health
Infant mortality is very high in Gurgaon. Children do not eat enough nutritious food and mothers don't always know how to feed them properly, so they easily become malnourished. Their health is further weakened by recurring waterborne diseases, which lead to diarrhea. Mothers aren't educated on how to take the necessary steps to protect their children's health or how to care for common illnesses.

Furthermore, families often cannot afford health care. Migrant families lose access to government support when they cross state borders, so many are unable to get the treatment they need. One illness can wipe out a family's savings and make them vulnerable to moneylenders.

The environment in Gurgaon provides ample opportunities for communicable illnesses like tuberculosis to become endemic. Patients often stop taking medicine prematurely, and when they relapse, they continue transmitting the disease to others. Understandably, many children are not immunized so there is a high incidence of measles and polio. Many people still follow traditional beliefs and seek help from under qualified healers.

Economic Development
Perhaps the greatest key to helping children in Gurgaon experience a better quality of life is to help families earn more income. Since most people are day labourers working for minimal pay for an average of 10-15 days a month, they are unable to provide for their families needs.

To make matters worse, labourers are not organized, many are illiterate, and they are easily exploited. Youth, who make up half of the workforce, and adults alike don't have the skills, knowledge, or opportunities to generate more income. Many are indebted to moneylenders.

• Educate parents and community members about the importance of education, especially for girls.
• Improve school facilities and infrastructure and provide teaching aids.
• Establish early childhood education centres to help children develop the skills they need for primary school.
• Establish informal education centres and community study spaces in remote areas of the community so that students can access distance education.
• Provide youth with career guidance and train them in skills that are in demand in the city, including computing, mechanics, and electronics.

• Improve families education on child health.
• Promote pre and postnatal care, breastfeeding, child and infant nutrition, immunization, the management of common illnesses, and knowing when to seek medical help.
• Partner with the Ministry of Health to improve community health care services.
• Train health workers and provide improved equipment to ensure the quality and availability of vaccines.
• Provide vitamin A supplements and oral rehydration solutions to children and parents.

• Establish self-help groups where families pool their resources and receive training savings, credit, and entrepreneurship.
• Support self-help groups to start income-generating activities, purchase start up assets, and market their products.
• Connect community members with agencies to facilitate job placement.
• Start youth groups to provide skills training and enhanced understanding of issues like child marriage, child labour, addiction, and land issues.
• Establish information centres that provide counseling and employment services to inform and equip community members, and link them to employment opportunities in government services.