Namma Metro is partnering with child rights NGO Save the Children for a week-long campaign titled ‘Making Child Rights Reach Every Child’ to ensure that all children have access to their fundamental rights.
A week of ‘Artivism’ was inaugurated at the Rangasthala Auditorium, Rangoli Metro Art Center, MG Road, in the presence of Smt. Kalapana Kataria, Executive Director, BMRCL (parent company of Namma Metro), Karnataka; Sri NM Chandrasekara, Senior Manager- Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Save the Children; Sri Akshay Soni, Executive Director, Saamuhika Shakti, The/Nudge Institute, and nine child photographers who were trained under the guidance of Save the Children.
Namma Metro has designated areas in five prime metro stations (MG Road, Baiyappanahalli Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Stn., Majestic, Maysuru Road, and Krishna Rajendra Market) to raise awareness about children’s rights and the role of Metro commuters in identifying children in need of care and protection. Furthermore, it is said that it is Namma Metro’s first CSR initiative.
Namma Metro is also providing these metro stations with clear messaging on child rights, child marriage prevention, child labour, the right to education, and the power of collaboration.
Smt. Kalapana Kataria, Executive Director, BMRCL, Karnataka, addressed the audience, “We are happy to join hands with Save the Children for a collaborative campaign, ‘Making Child Rights Reach Every Child’ with a clear messaging on the rights of the children and how one can support when a child is in need of care and protection.”
He further said, “Namma Metro is committed to make a difference in the lives of the children and people at large. Having a strength of a huge connectivity, we feel it’s important to extend our support to the organizations like Save the Children spreading the messages across.”
Sri NM Chandrasekara, Save the Children’s Senior Manager for Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, noted, “Ten children from the waste-picker community of Bengaluru have been trained in a 2-day photojournalism workshop in December 2021 under the H&M Foundation funded Saamuhika Shakti project of Save the Children, photos captured by these children reflect their perspective of the world they live in and also helped them understand civic infrastructure, social and economic issues they face. The children in waste-picker communities have to contend with extreme poverty, face poor living conditions, and lack avenues for expression. Photography provides a ray of hope for the children to access their right to play, culture, and arts.”
Image Source: Justdial
Akshay Soni, Executive Director, Saamuhika Shakti, The/Nudge Institute, said, “Saamuhika Shakti is a first of its kind initiative in India, where seven implementing organizations, including Save The Children, have come together to enable waste pickers to lead secure and dignified lives and to have greater control over their own life outcomes.”
He further said, “the collaboration with Namma Metro feels like match made in heaven – just as the operation of the Bengaluru metro has led to the reduction of an enormous amount of carbon dioxide in our environment, the waste pickers Saamuhika Shakti works to support also have an amazing impact on the environment. Every year they save nearly 400,000 tons of waste from going to our landfills and help recycle it instead. We look forward to a long and fruitful association.”
Image Source: Save The Children
From September 3, 2022, a special awareness drive with the help of video displays will carry messages about raising awareness on child rights at all the locations of Bengaluru Metro Rail with the help of Namma Metro.
What is Save the Children?
Bal Raksha Bharat (Save the Children) has given over 1.1 crore children in 18 Indian states the opportunity to have their voices heard and their needs prioritized. They collaborate with governments, other non-governmental organizations, and India Inc. to develop creative solutions and long-term outcomes for children living in marginalized communities.
What is Saamuhika Shakti?
Saamuhika Shakti is a collective impact programme, the first of its type in India, in which seven implementing organizations have teamed up to give waste pickers more agency to live safe and dignified lives, with a particular emphasis on gender and equity. The H&M Foundation initiated and supports this project, with The/Nudge Institute as the backbone.
Image Source: Saamuhika Shakti
References: Press Release of Save The Children
