Who we are?

EveryChild is an international development charity fighting to protect some of the world’s most vulnerable children without parental care or in inadequate care. It works in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, South America and the Caribbean. EveryChild believes that all children have the right to grow up in a safe and loving family environment, with a secure future. More than 24 million children grow up without parental care, their survival often threatened by greater risk of malnutrition, violence and exploitation; their future lost by missing out on school, and their childhood. Working with local partners across countries, EveryChild keep children safe when they are alone and at risk. EveryChild protects children in danger of ending up on their own by keeping families together and get children back to a safe and caring family, wherever it is possible.

EveryChild in India has been supporting programmes and partners based in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on the issue of most children at risk of losing parental care or children without parental care.

Let no child be dedicated as a devadasi, let no child be trafficked!

EveryChild India aims to protect and improve the lives of children in difficult circumstances from the tradition of Devadasis and early marriage as well as to provide care and protection to children from the most marginalised Madiga community (Madiga are considered the untouchables, lowest in the dalit hierarchy) in Northern Karnataka. These children face stigma, discrimination and exploitation at the hands of the dominant upper caste communities within the deep rooted caste system in India.

EveryChild India is concentrating on enabling these children to lead a dignified life with their families by providing them quality education which empowers them and leads to their holistic development.  Additionally EveryChild focuses towards strengthening families through formation of thrift and credit societies, women’s banks to benefit their future economic condition and equips them to acquire life skills and strategies to deal with challenges in their future.

The Bidugade programme is located in the North Karnataka districts of Bagalkote, Belgaum, Bellary and Raichur. Northern Karnataka districts are less developed than the rest of the state with a very low human development index and the presence of dominant cultural practices like Devadasi which operates against the interest of the Dalit communities and specifically dalit girls, and favours the higher castes, who often socially oppress the Dalits. In these districts Dalits are victims of the tradition of Devadasi that forces young girls to be dedicated to goddesses Yellamma (considered the devadasi goddess), and subsequently pushes them into prostitution.

EveryChild in North Karnataka supports community based organizations’ namely MASS, PRERANA, FENCE, Sri Gauthama Grama Kalayana Kendra (SGGKK) to implement the Bidugade (breaking the barriers) Programme. Through this programme and partnerships, EveryChild has been working with the devadasi and Madiga children at risk of losing parental care or without parental care on access to education, building community institutions, prevention of trafficking and violence against children and ensuring that children’s rights are secured, they are cared for and live in a protected and violence free environment.

Towards child friendly governance and getting missing children back home!

EveryChild in Bangalore has been working with organisation such as Child Rights Trust (CRT) to support advocacy initiatives towards child friendly governance systems. With SAATHI, it addresses the issue of reintegration and reunion of run-away/street children at Railway platforms in Bangalore. EveryChild has also joined hands with NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences) in Bangalore to implement a project for Psychosocial competency building for EveryChild India partner NGOs and CBOs in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu working with children in difficult circumstances.

Rescuing children from bonded labour in agriculture and textile industries

The Engal Kural Project (Our Voice) is focused on protection, rescue and rehabilitation of children at risk or no parental care in Western Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu, EveryChild India focuses on the most marginalised children belonging to the Arunthathiyar (most marginalised dalits-considered the ‘untouchables’) community, including children working as bonded labourers in agriculture and the textile industry. Arunthathiyars are Dalits who are considered to be at the bottom of the caste hierarchy. They are referred to as the ‘Dalits amongst Dalits’ and are most socially, economically and politically disadvantaged group, even as other sub castes have made greater progress towards equality through social movements and politicisation.

EveryChild in Western Tamil Nadu supports organisations such as Rights Education and Development Centre (READ) and Rural Women’s Development Trust (RWDT) to implement the Engal Kural (Our Voice) Project which works closely with the Arundhatiyar (the dalit amongst the dalits) children at risk of posing parental care or without parental care towards abolition of child bonded labour, violence against Arundhatiyar children and building community institutions.

EveryChild’s works towards this belief that home, families and communities are the best places for the children to have a happy and secured childhood.