About Shaishav

Introduction

Background

Organisation Structure

The Shaishav Team

Introduction

Shaishav, which means childhood in Gujarati and many other Indian languages, is a volunteer organisation committed to the rights of children.Our focus is on child labour and we believe that quality education is one of the most effective means to keep children out of labour force and ensure child rights. The working area is Bhavnagar city and district in the state of Gujarat, India.

The philosophy of Shaishav is to create an affirmative atmosphere where children can grow holistically within the context of society. Their growth and development should be multi-dimensional. Our intention is that the child should grow individually and at the same time contribute to the community. S/he should realize unity and integrity in all the variety and multiplicity. S/he should understand the significance of gender equality. All our activities and programmes act as means to achieve this.

Vision

Shaishav believes that a child is innocent and pure. S/he is a symbol of love, strength and happiness. S/he is endless, deep and free. S/he is a source of life. A healthy child will grow up to be a healthy adult and a healthy adult leads to a healthy society. The children should be provided with an education which forms character and is intellectually stimulating so that they can stand on their own feet, thus stretching their potential to the fullest.

Mission

As a Child Right organisation, Shaishav is committed to work in state and society on behalf of and with children so that they are able enjoy their basic rights and play an active role in realising them. We will strive to ensure that every child is allowed to be what she or he is… “A CHILD”, and thus believe:

• That every child should have time to play and enjoy the joys of childhood.

• That every child should get equal opportunity for education to achieve her or his potential

• That child labour and any type of child abuse, discrimination and exploitation should stop and society should work

Goals

Shaishav’s goals are as follows:

• To eradicate child labour from areas of our operations

• To make Bhavnagar a child rights sensitive city by ensuring active participation of children , the community and society for children's rights and development.

• To empower children by providing a positive environment, so they can achieve their utmost potential, build collective strength, develop a positive attitude towards life and enjoy holistic development.

Objectives

Shaishav’s work is framed by the following objectives:

1. To eradicate child labour from our areas of operation by:

    

   • Providing opportunities for non-formal education in communities from preschool age to ensure enrolment and retention in formal schools. Older children who are unable to enter school will be reached through a programme of quality education that is relevant and meaningful, so they can appear directly for external exams.

   • Complementing the municipal primary school system by providing quality education to improve enrolment and retention.

   • Involving the community in playing an active role to improve enrolment and education of the children.

2. To provide a platform where children can participate, satisfy their emotional needs, develop empathy for other children and derive support from each other. This platform intends to give a special space for girls where they can grow without restrictions.

3. To support youths in continuing education, provide them with vocational and skill development training as an alternative to hazardous work and create a forum for them to organise.

4. To network and coordinate with other actors, organisations and institutions in the fields of child rights and education to make policy changes on a larger level.

5. To raise awareness about child rights and education by:

• Developing and disseminating a variety of materials for children and related to child rights. .

• Conducting training for children, parents, teachers, government organisations, NGOs and other stakeholders.

• Conducting action research and documentation on child related issues to create guidelines for implementation of ongoing and new programmes.

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