Child rights NGO gets Rs.600,000 Australian grant

NEW DELHI - Australian High Commissioner Peter Varghese and Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist Saturday visited a children’s home near Alwar in Rajasthan and announced a Rs. 600,000 grant to NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) to help eliminate child labour.

“BBA has been awarded the Australian government’s Human Rights small grant against stiff competition from over 200 applicants in India. The AUD 149,000 (Rs.6 lakhs approximately) award will be disbursed over two years,” said a statement here.

“Australian support for the project will raise the awareness of human rights in communities, and assist them to improve local governance systems through the creation of 20 ‘bal mitra grams’ (BMGs) or child friendly villages in Rajasthan,” it added.

“In a BMG, all child labourers are withdrawn from work and enrolled in school. In addition, children form a ‘Bal Panchayat’ (an elected children’s village council), which is given official recognition by the ‘Gram Panchayat’ (elected adult village council), ensuring that the two councils work together on issues related to children,” the statement said.

Adam Gilchrist, who is also the captain of the Deccan Chargers team in the ongoing Indian Premier League, also launched a corporate social responsibility initiative, backed by an Australian company.

“The Bachpan Bachao Andolan movement is doing critical work; preventing children from working when they should be at school. I am impressed with the results they have produced, including in preventing child labour and trafficking. I have been particularly impressed by the long-term approach of BBA in gradually changing the culture and value systems of the communities to ensure children’s rights are respected,” Varghese said, in his address at the event.