children turn reporters to highlight issues
A group of children in Bihar have found a unique way to highlight their everyday problems. They have turned reporters to create awareness about child marriage, child labour and other issues. All of 12, Kajal's awareness about issues is exemplary. The child crusader, part of the child reporter brigade in Bihar's Vaishali district, has been taking on the cause of child labour, child marriage, environment protection and civic consciousness in her village. The child reporter brigade publishes a quarterly broadsheet newsletter 'Hamari Baat, Hamari Awaaz', which touches upon several social issues. But being a reporter is no child's play. Thanks to the efforts of the young reporter brigade, the state education department had to appoint a teacher after it was reported that there was no Hindi teacher in the school. Education authorities were also forced to damage-control after the newsletter reported about irregular teaching in Shivnandan School in Rajapakar
This UNICEF and Supramental Foundation pilot initiative now has 300 volunteer child reporters, called 'Mukul Bal Pratakar'. Editorial meetings in the open, discussing the day's top stories and coverage plan, writing about their daily experiences and helping in distribution of the newsletter, the child reporters are pros at their jobs. For the kids, it is much more than just a reporting assignment. Mostly drawn from social and economically deprived families, being a child reporter inculcates self-pride in them and makes them believe more and more in themselves. This is precisely the motto with which this pilot project was started in a few select districts of Bihar and will now be soon replicated elsewhere. From an initial circulation of 1,000 to 5,000 now, this pilot model is making the little scribes smile. Their parents, too, have no reason to complain. For now these small voices are making a big difference to life in Bihar's Vaishali distict
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