Strategic Advocacy & Networking

STRATEGIC ADVOCACY AND NETWORKING

Disability today is not seen as a separate agenda for social workers or disability rights activists but as a natural part of larger issues such as education, environment, employment, health and human rights. The thrust of the school-based, social educational programmes has now shifted to schools in the resource-poor settings of East Delhi where the CARENIDHI Community-Based initiative is actively following a rights-based approach and developing programmes with a participatory approach and convergence of resources in the community.

The advocacy programmes are being actively pursued by the children of the community. Helped by the staff and the student coordinator, the children use theatre, puppet shows, storytelling, flannel graphs and drawings, and participate in melas as well as the workshops in the community, to convey social education messages. Theatre has been especially used to effectively communicate and change risk-behaviours such as when they networked for a ‘No Smoking’ campaign with a partner NGO, HRIDAY-SHAN, in the Seelampur community project.

The children of the community have participated in advocacy focused events at the state and national levels too. On Disability Day, over the past several years, the children have pledged their support to inclusion, equity and preserving and saving the environment.

In 2008, the children started a campaign to raise public awareness on the implementation of international norms and standards concerning persons with disabilities and to further their participation in social life and development on the basis of equality.

In 2015, this became a full fledged activity that focused on awarness about Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It is an essential component of SNEHA where children in neighbourhood schools and children with specila needs come together for awareness and advocacy events in the community.

Today, the focus Strergic Advocacy and Networking is on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Student Network for Education and Health for All (SNEHA) has activities that are school based, community based. Workshops on SDG awareness in schools as well as community engagement for Health and Environment activities are a regular feature.