Shimla. The Department of WCD Delhi celebrated the International Girl Child today to highlight the recent milestones achieved in terms of work done for the girl child.
The event was kick started with Manish Sisodia, Dy CM and Rajendra Pal Gautam, Minister DWCD flagging off the ‘Chalti-firti Anganwadi/mobile Anganwadi’ by -a joint initiative of the Department and Save the Children organization with the objective of reaching out the unreached through door-step delivery of ‘Saksham Anganwadi’ services.
Dy CM also digitally launched model SSK (Saheli Samanvay Kendras) at Khanpur signifying the launch of other 454 SSKs as well as administered pledge to newly inducted Anganwadi workers to serve the society in their best capacities for the welfare of women and children.
While Dy CM also welcomed the new AWWs encouraging them to take the Department forward with their novel ideas, he emphasized, “ There is need to focus on ‘ek-ek ladki’ i.e. the Department should be inclusive of all, reaching out to even the last of the last through its Anganwadi services ensuring that even the most vulnerable are catered to”.
Minister DWCD expressed concern on the skewed sex ratio, foeticide, malnutrition and anemia in pregnant and lactating mothers and emphasized on the urgent need to address these issues.
Encouraging the Department’s good work, Swati(Chairperson, DCW) hailed the Anganwadi workers as the ‘true heroes’ who put their heart and soul to provide quality services to vulnerable women and children.
Dr Rashmi Singh(IAS), Spl Secretary cum Director DWCD presented an audio video journey on SSK explaining the concept and philosophy of this unique, integrated Delhi model initiated recently for holistic development of women and children besides enjoining the support and cooperation of the stakeholders involved.
The event saw the presence of other dignitaries such as Susan Ferguson, India Country Representative-UN Women.
Anurag Kundoo (Chairman DCPCR), Seema Gupta (Chairperson, DSWB) and Neeti Suri (Secretary, Central DLSA) were also present along with other stakeholders.
The dignitaries jointly launched IEC material such as resource directory on creche, Chalti-firti anganwadi & SSK brochure, newsletter ‘Bachho ki kalam se’.
Additionally, some adolescent girls and Anganwadi workers were felicitated for their achievements which was combined with feedback/personal stories of these girls in their own words.
Navlendra Kumar Singh, Joint Director DWCD while moderating the programme also expressed the firm resolve of the Department to make all possible efforts for uplifting the health and education levels and holistic development of the girl child.
The event had a SAMVAD session with experts on promoting value and opportunities for girls through convergent thought and action of stakeholders involved. Save the children welcomed Dy CMs message of ‘ek hi nahin, lekin ek-ek tak pahunchna hai’, especially in the context of reaching out to the invisible children such as those living on streets.
PHD Family Foundation, ICICI foundation and Indus Action underlined the need to create enabling livelihoods, developed particularly to meet the emerging needs due to Corona.
Same was highlighted by Learning Link which runs a Digital programme for girls and women helping them develop business plans and providing seed funding too.
Further, Mobile crèche representative pointed that SSKs represent big mental and attitudinal shift which will play a critical role in enabling women and girls and thus the focus should be, as suggested by CFAR, to capacitate the SSK functionaries on a regular basis.
Pratham organization which has supported the Department with a large number of digital trainings, pointed out the importance of setting positive and gender equitable mindsets right from the pre-primary level of the children and hence the need of right conditioning.
With Delhi Social Welfare Board running Family Counselling Centres providing mental health support to women and girls, DALSA working on girls and women’s constitutional and statutory rights and various other stakeholders working in their capacities for the wellbeing of women and children overwhelmingly agreed that SSK model is an umbrella scheme where their joint efforts and convergence of resources has the potential of holistic development of women and girls.
