Noida and Gurgaon are associated with Indian Pollution Control Association for waste management projects. These rag-pickers earn their livelihood by collecting waste material from different sources. This is done collectively by each family member including children. Therefore, their children do not get the opportunity to go to school for education. IPCA believes that without education, their lifestyle and social status can’t be improved. Keeping this in mind, IPCA in association with India Development Service (IDS), USA initiated a primary education program for rag-pickers’ children in Delhi/NCR in year 2012.

Objective

•  To provide Primary education through fun learning activities.
•  To spread awareness amongst rag picker community about general health care and sanitation.
•  To develop moral and social Responsibility among these children.
•  To improve lifestyle and social status of rag-pickers community.
•  To ensure that no child becomes a rag-picker due to lack of opportunities.

As part of the project, specific curriculum is developed for the students. Youth from within the community are trained in teaching skills and recruited for imparting education to the children. Through workshops and training sessions, children are prepared to get enrolled in mainstream government schools for further education. Started with 50 children from two clusters, the project reaches out to about 175 children every year. It has successfully mainstreamed about 88 students to the government schools.