With our trainings and life skill sessions ,we  prepare children to play positive roles in life.

We also organize seminars and workshop  for creating awareness among public and other targeted group  on Child Rights and its different applications.

We also collaborate with Pachayatraj Institutions in the effective implementation of child welfare schemes.

With youth we mainly focus on  promoting Entrepreneurship Development. We usually conduct workshops for the same. We are also working on a live project on tourism which will give entrepreneurship opportunities for a a group of 30 youth.

Lately we are into sensitizing Youth into Environment and the potentials and politics of Information Communication Technology .

We also mobilize youth around educational reformation and other development and social issues.

The eco system commonly called as Cyberspaces, though a smaller part of the Internet, are the most visible face of the Internet networks.

With advent of social networking applications, new tools for  interaction and networking, online gaming and expression platforms like blogging, and virtual worlds, have created a fascinating network of users, distributed across lifestyles and geographies, interacting with each other in unprecedented forms.

At fireflies we seek to explore and  understand this eco system through research and other forms of engagement. We are curious to see the the social,cultural and political implication the Internet leave us with.

In the context of India, we can never put aside the Telecom sector when we speak about Information Society. Rural coverage of telecommunication networks and the  dream of a countrywide broad band infrastructure will be the areas Fireflies will be looking at in this sphere.

Today we are faced with dwindling natural resources, a rapidly changing climate and other threats require that all of us begin working together to save this planet earth.

Also more than ever before, we must find innovative ways to ensure that nature can continue to provide the food, clean water, energy for us and for our children to come.

At fireflies our mission is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.

How do we do it. Good question indeed.

We start small. A start with creating awareness among children and youth.

We conduct nature camps, take them for trekking , let them be with nature .

Attitude change should take place by itself. We create situations for that.

We have also begun a few research project into a number of environment sensitive issues of Kerala. Once we have relevant data and evidence we will build a campaign and approach the policy makers with it.

We are also actively collaborating with a number of environmental organisations-both activist and research based.

Aristotle made several efforts to explain how moral conduct contributes to the good life for human agents, including the Eqikh EudaimonhV (Eudemian Ethics) and the Magna Moralia, but the most complete surviving statement of his views on morality occurs in the Eqikh Nikomacoi (Nicomachean Ethics).

There he considered the natural desire to achieve happiness, described the operation of human volition and moral deliberation, developed a theory of each virtue as the mean between vicious extremes, discussed the value of three kinds of friendship, and defended his conception of an ideal life of intellectual pursuit.

We’ve heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true. -Robert Wilensky

But on Aristotle’s view, the lives of individual human beings are invariably linked together in a social context. In the Peri PoliV (Politics) he speculated about the origins of the state, described and assessed the relative merits of various types of government, and listed the obligations of the individual citizen.

He may also have been the author of a model PoliteiaV Aqhnawn (Constitution of Athens), in which the abstract notion of constitutional government is applied to the concrete life of a particular society.

Lack of access to basic requirements such as food, shelter and clothing are the underlying cause of poor child health, poor child nutrition, child labour, child marriage and various other issues.It widens the economic, social, cultural, and gender disparities already present in society. Poverty essentially threatens every child right: survival, development and protection. Poverty follows a vicious cycle as poor children grow up to be poor adults who then pass on debt to their children.

Children experience poverty differently from adults as it creates an environment which is harmful to their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual development. It can not be simply understood in terms of household income or household consumption. UNICEF defines as “Children living in poverty experience deprivation of the material, spiritual and emotional resources needed to survive, develop and thrive, leaving them unable to enjoy their rights, achieve their full potential or participate as full and equal members of society.”

In a study on poverty faced by children, UNICEF found that children face seven areas of severe deprivation: adequate nutrition, safe drinking water, decent sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. The study found that half the child population of the world suffers at least one form of deprivation. The nature of deprivation is such that one deprivation reinforces others. Lack of access to safe drinking water can affect a child’s health, education and nutrition. Rural children in poverty are twice as likely to suffer some form of deprivation as their urban peers.

Child poverty is not an issue only in low income nations but it found in many middle income nations as well. For example Columbia and Namibia have similar levels of per-capita income but yet Namibia has more severe deprivations. Namibia’s children suffer deprivations closer to those of Togo’s, a much poorer country. Child poverty is also high associated with gender discrimination. How income or resources are earned, distributed and valued depends on the power relations between men and women in the family and in society in general.

Children in poverty experience more then simple material poverty. The lack of material security exposes children to all forms of abuse and exploitation. It creates economic need that pushes children into child labour, and hence forsakes their right to education and recreation. Hence children experience an emotional and mental poverty as well. This in turn produces further material poverty, creating a generational cycle of poverty.

The most popular international estimation of poverty is given by the World Bank at 1.4 Million people living below the poverty line in 2005. In 2008 the World Bank set the poverty line at $1.25 a day using 2005 Purchasing Power Parity terms and price data from the International Comparison Program 2005. This line is based on the mean of national poverty line from various poor countries.

The below poverty line in India is determined by the Planning Commission for the purpose of Central sponsored programmes in the rural areas and urban areas. The tenth five year plan calculated the poverty line by thirteen parameters, with a 0-4 score for each parameter. Families with a score less than 15 out of 52 possible marks are considered to be below the poverty line (BPL). The government caps the number of families in this category at 3.26 lakhs in the rural area and the BPL survey found a total of 3.18 lakhs families in 2002. The thirteen parameters include land holding, type of house, clothing, food security, sanitation, consumer durables, literacy status, labour force, means of livelihood, status of children, type of indebtedness, reasons for migrations etc. In the urban BPL survey poverty is calculated by seven parameters: roof, floor, water, sanitation, education level, type of employment & status of children in a house. In 2004 the survey found 1.25 lakh urban poor families below the poverty line. State governments use their own criteria for BPL calculation for the state schemes.

Poverty estimation covers a much larger population than the below poverty line. There are various differing opinions on poverty estimation in India. There are four main sources of poverty estimation in India.

• Planning Commission 2004-05 estimates: the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) with the use of the Consumer Price Index of Agricultural Labourers for rural poverty line and Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPIIW) for urban poverty lines, calculated the percentage of poor in the nation. Rural poverty was estimated at 28.3% and urban poverty was estimated at 25.7% as per the Uniform Recall Period consumption in which the consumer expenditure data for all the items are collected from 30-day recall period. Mixed Recall period estimates are slightly lower as MRP indicated consumer expenditure data for five non-food items, namely, clothing, footwear, durable goods, education and institutional medical expenses are collected from 365-day recall period and the consumption data for the remaining items are collected from 30-day recall period.
• The Arjun Sengupta Report on conditions of work and promotion of livelihoods in the unorganised sector’: estimates the 77% of the population, that is there are 836 million people with the purchasing power income of less than two dollars. Based on NSSO data the committee categorizes poverty into four distinct groups: The extremely poor are people who survive at 0.75 of the official poverty line (PL) (which is at approximately Rs. 10 per capita per day). The poor subsist between 0.75 PL and PL. The marginally poor are slightly better off as their daily consumption rests between PL and 1.25PL. And lastly the vulnerable group who is in danger of becoming poor live on 1.25PL to 2PL (which is approximately Rs 20.3 per capital per day).
• The Saxena Committee Report: In August, 2009, The Saxena Committee, which was commissioned by the Ministry of Rural Development to advice on a methodology for conducting the Below Poverty Line (BPL) census for the 11th five year plan. The committee aimed at three things; to automatically exclude non-poor families from the survey, automatically include extreme poor families and grade the rest of the families according to fare criteria. The Saxena Committee estimates the 50% of the population would be included in the BPL list.
• The Tendulkar Committee Report: In November 2009, the Tendulkar Committee, which was appointed by the Planning Commission of India as an expert group to review the methodology for estimation of poverty, produced a report. The committee suggests it is best to continue calculating the poverty line according to private household consumer expenditure of Indian households from data connected by NSSO. Hence according to this report the urban poverty headcount ratio is 25.7 % as calculated previously. But there has been a change in the rural national poverty headcount ratio which was originally calculated to be 28.3 %. It is now estimated at a much “higher and accurate” ratio of 41.8%. This means that according to the report, 37.2% of the population is considered to be below the new poverty line. The new all India poverty line is set at Rs. 446.68 in rural areas and Rs. 578.8 in urban areas.

This Concept Note on ‘Children is Poverty’ is adapted from Childline India Foundation Website.

Children of Dalit and tribal communities face a number of abuses. Though there is no actual number of crimes committed against children of SC/ST families there are many case examples of violence, rape, and torture. On 9 April 2003, three members of a Dalit family – a pregnant woman and her two children – were gunned down by members of an armed opposition group of the upper caste Hindus. On 30th July 2000 an eighteen year old dalit girl was humiliated, tortured, and burnt to death by a band of upper caste Hindus from her village. 

Discrimination against ST and SC children can be seen in evidence of the education system. Literacy among SC/ST population is indicative of the advancement in education. The lowest group female STs, has doubled in the last ten years but is still at a low of 32.4%. School statistics show an increased enrolment of SC and ST students. But the enrolment figured doesn’t match the population figures in the various states. Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have the lowest SC enrollment ratios. Also non-attendance among Scheduled Castes is higher than among the general population rates, around 20 % in the 6-10 age group and 29 % in the 11-14 year age group. Attendance rates are the highest in Kerala and lowest in Bihar. The effect of poor attendance and dropouts can be seen in the number of children that complete elementary education. Only 43% SC children completed primary schooling.

Among ST children Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan have the worst enrolment rates. Even Kerala does not have equal enrolment to population. Rural school attendance rates of Scheduled tribe children are highest in Sikkim, Mizoram, Nagaland, Andaman and Nicobar, Manipur, Meghalaya and Assam. Rates in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa are extremely low even with their large tribal populations at 27.1%, 29.8%, 34.2% and 32.3% respectively. Dropout rates amongst ST children are very high. Majority of children drop out in class I itself. Official dropout rates of tribal children from school in 1988-89 were as high as 78% between classes I and VIII. 

After birth, the child continues to face health challenges. Approximately one third of new born babies are below the acceptable 2.5 kilograms of weight. NFHS-3 reported that 77% of new-borns are not breastfed without the hour of birth. This first step in nutrition is vital for the healthy development of the child. Undernourished refers to the below optimal weight a child is for his/her age; 46% of young children classify as undernourished. Stunted refers to the below optimal height a child is for his/her age; 38% of young children are stunted. Lastly, Wasted refers to the below optimal weight a child a child is for his/her given height; 19% of young children are wasted. Depravity of immunizations also leads to various health problems, most common being fever (indicating an illness), diarrhoea, and acute respiratory infection. 

When we examine India’s education statistics the story is not any brighter.Ministry of Human Resource Development in a 2006-2007 survey reported that 25.6% of children drop out of school before they reach the fifth standard. In a Times of India  article they reported that in 1991 there was a primary school dropout rate of 41.9% (boys 40.1%, girls 46%) which had not much improved in 2001, 40.67% (boys 39.7%, girls 41.9%). Meaning after 10 years and several thousand crore spent on primary school education the state has only been able to bring down the dropout rate by 2%.

The well-being of India’s children lies heavily in those first six years of a child’s life. It is these beginning few years that will affect not only the growth, mental and physical health of the child but also his/her ability to become a responsible and well- adjusted citizen of the country. Early childhood care and education (ECCE) is the first and possibly the most important first step in creating a healthy child population.

In India 84% of all health care expenditure is out of pocket. This places a great number of families at risk of falling into poverty due to high health expenses. Millions of children are at risk of becoming malnourished. Every third child in India is malnourished. Infant and child mortality rates still remain very high about the MDG. They are lowest among marginalised groups such as scheduled castes and tribes, and females. Discrimination in food based schemes and in society in general leads to starvation deaths among women and children of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Muslim children have the highest rate of stunting and second highest rate of being underweight. There are almost no services or programmes for children with mental health issues. Children with disabilities, HIV/AIDS and mental disorders are stigmatized and hence have little access to health facilities.

India has one of the poorest health records in the world with the highest TB prevalence, every three out of four children have anaemia, and polio eradication is actually backsliding. With varying social sector budgets, health indicators differ greatly across the country. Kerala is best off with only 21% stunted children. Uttar Pradesh has the worst record with 46% of the children being underdeveloped. Girls are at a higher risk of not being able to access health care. The mental health budget remains at 1% of the total health budget. 

According to UNICEF India over two million children die every year from preventable diseases. IMR in India is 63 deaths for every 1000 live births. Of these 47% of the deaths occur within the first week after birth. Measles is the largest cause of death among children which can be prevented by a vaccine. Tetanus in newborns remains a major problem Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Assam.

Breastfeeding is the first crucial step to ensuring good health in infants. According to NFHS-3 data 24.5% of new mothers initiated breastfeeding in the hour after birth, 46.4% breastfed exclusively the first six months and 56.7% nursed beyond six months with the introduction of complementary food. This results in more than 50% the child population below five being underweight. 44.9% of the children under three are stunted and 22.9% of children under three are wasted. Less than 50% of children receive full immunization during infancy. This number has been dropping significantly over the years indicating a problem with the universal immunization programme. 

According to NFHS-3 60% of children have been brought to a health care facility with diarrhoea, 69% have Acute respiratory infection and 71% have presented a high fever. Only 39% of children under five having diarrhoea during the time of the survey received some kind of oral rehydration therapy. More than one fourth of children with diarrhoea received no treatment at all. Children with diarrhoea need to consume plenty of water and adequate food. But 40% of children received less water and 45% received less food than usual. Child abuse, especially sexual abuse puts children at high health risks. Abuse is related to high mental health disorders as well as sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

Child health initiatives come under the Reproductive and Child Health Programmes and ICDS.

Children may be destitute, for the interim or permanently of parental care for many reasons including the illness, death or imprisonment of parents, separation due to migration or armed conflict, the removal by child welfare authorities and/or the courts based on the child’s best interests, detention of the child, or following the child’s own initiative to leave home.

In India the child parent relationship is often seen as one of obedience of a social order more so than a right of the child. Hence when a child is separated from his/her parent it is not viewed as the duty of the state to provide that child with a family environment. None the less adoption is supervised by the state, but India does not have a long term foster care or alternate care system outside of institutionalization.

UNICEF estimates that there are 25 million orphaned children in India in 2007. Another study estimates there are about 44 million destitute children and over 12 million orphan and abandoned children in India, yet there are only 5000 (0.04%) adoptions every year. The institutions for children in conflict with the law host about 40,000 children. The wide gap that exists in the knowledge of and attitude towards child adoption and intention to adopt a child between people from different socio-economic backgrounds exposes the need of the state to initiate promotion of child adoption and creating a system of non-institutional care for children above the adoption age. 

India is a source, destination, and transit country for trafficking for many purposes such as commercial sexual exploitation. Majority of the trafficking is within the country but there are also a large number trafficked from Nepal and Bangladesh. Children are trafficked to Middle Eastern countries for sport such as camel racing. There are no national or regional estimates for the number of children trafficked every year. But 40% of prostitutes are children, and there is a growing demand for young girls in the industry. 

NGOs estimate that 12,000 – 50,000 women and children are trafficked into the country annually from neighbouring states for the sex trade. Thousands of girls are trafficked from Bangladesh and Nepal. 200,000 Nepalese girls under 16 years are in prostitution in India. An estimated 1,000 to 1,500 Indian children are smuggled out of the country every year to Saudi Arabia for begging during the Hajj.  Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have the largest number of people trafficked. Intra state/inter district trafficking is high in Rajasthan, Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Delhi and Goa are the major receiver states. Trafficking from north eastern states is high but often over looked. In 2008, 529 girls were trafficked from Assam alone. 

There is a rising demand for live-in maids in urban areas. This has resulted in trafficking of girls from villages in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to live under extremely poor conditions first in “placement agencies” and later in the employers homes. Placement agents keep the girls in small unhygienic rooms packed together. They are often made to do the placement agent’s household work and subjected to sexual abuse.

India has legal provisions to counter trafficking as per the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act 1986. The MWCD has taken a number of Initiatives to combat trafficking of Women and Children.