Caritas India along with Caritas Australia has initiated a multi-state cluster program in India for the period of five years from 2023 to 2027. The new program titled KHUSHHAAL BACHPAN will aim towards “Improving the quality of childhood situation in India”.

To set the program rolling, Caritas India organized the Kick-off Meeting on January 17, 2023, in Raipur, along with a few partner directors to introduce the program and to work out the partnership arrangement amidst the direct implementation.

The meeting was graced by His Grace Most Rev. Victor Henry Thakur, Archbishop of Raipur and represented by our Partner directors of Raipur, Raigarh, Jagdalpur, Ambikapur, Jashpur, Udaipur, Jhabua and Lucknow.

Fr. Paul envisioned the program perspectives and shared about the uniqueness of this program. His Grace shared the core principles of children’s welfare and reminded us of the different rights that a child should benefit, for a happy childhood.

Khushhaal Bachpan envisages working with the following broader objectives:

• Proactively engage with children and communities in sensitizing them about child rights and empowering them to raise their voices and demand their entitlement.
• Sensitize parents, service providers, and the local communities for early identification of children facing abuse and violence and create provisions for awareness amongst children and parents.
• Invest in system strengthening and providing support in building capacities of government functionaries to bridge the critical gap in the quality of services currently available through government systems. and caregivers on child rights issues.

This program is proposed to be implemented in 4 states Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, covering key aspects of Child rights towards health, education, family life, play and recreation. This program has evolved with intricate and dedicated research studies to assess and understand the needs of Children in India in the context- of New Socio-Economic Scenario that evolved after the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Together with the partners, we arrived at a common understanding of upholding the partnership and developing an engagement framework through the program tenure. The meeting concluded with certain key takeaways for further pursuit and action.