In MP heartland, leadership is truly kid stuff

You don’t have to be old and wise to be a leader. These children have proved it by breaking the mould.

In Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh, children have donned the crusader’s mantle and are voicing the concerns of the predominantly tribal population. ‘‘Under Project Bachpan, children are selected to be leaders for the community, they work closely with different agencies to ensure that basic rights are there,’’ said Venita Kaul, senior education specialist, South Asia region, World Bank.

Following a World Bank study, it was felt that a more child-centred planning could help community development. The Jan Mitras, as these young boys and girls are called, conduct community meetings, establish a rapport with government service providers, and collect village-level data on issues such as education, health and child development. The project is being undertaken at the invitation of the state government and is being carried out in collaboration with the Naandi Foundation, an NGO.

‘‘The Jan Mitras work diligently on every aspect of the project. Their involvement has brought them into a new world. Sometimes, they have to walk long distances in the sun through rocky terrain, and there are days when they have had no time to eat till they return home at dusk,’’ said Rohini Mukherjee, manager, global partnerships, Naandi Foundation, Hyderabad.
The Jan Mitras say they have earned the respect of the community, which has boosted their confidence. ‘‘The team has become a committed resource pool,’’ added Mukherjee.

In Uttar Pradesh girls are forming ‘Meena Manch’ to raise awareness about girl child education. Meena, an animation character, created by Unicef and now a mascot for girl child education, is a role model for girls in villages and districts. Like the character Meena, the girls are not shy about speaking up.

The Meena Manch girls visit houses talking to families on sending their girls to school. They also track down the girls who are enrolled but do not attend school and encourage them to return. After a meeting with village elders organised by a Meena Manch, a grandmother observed that ‘‘educating a girl child should be seen as an investment.’’ By acting as role models, the girls are helping to change attitudes. Following the success of Meena Manch in UP, the concept has been expanded to several other states.

LEARNING TO LEAD: A Jan Mitra collecting village data in Madhya Pradesh