Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiya Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiya Foundation (MVF)is an India
n non-government organisation
(NGO) established in 1981 in memory of educationist and historian Prof. Mamidipudi Venkataraangaiya
. The MVF began as a research institution on issues relating to social transformation
. Today, the Foundation is building the capacities of community in rural and urban areas for abolition of child labour by universalizing social education. It uses an “area-based” approach instead of a target based approach. The area based approach concentrates on protecting the rights of every children and ensuring all of them attend full time formal education
. It draws plans for children to withdraw from work and prepare them to be integrated into schools. Schemes were also designed to ensure that children are retained in school and will continue to do so without any disruption.
are now child labour free. The core strategy of MV Foundation to achieve its objective of transforming child labours to students is through the residential bridge camps.It has been implemented in more than 6000 villages and an estimated 45000 child labours have thus benefited from these bridge camps. Through the Stop Child Labor Campaigns and Child Rights Protection Forum (CPRF), they had successfully mobilised communities to establish a social norm against child labour and to understand that school is the fundamental right of a child
.
The greatest impact is the direct cooperation of the MV Foundation with the government of Andhra Pradesh
, facilitating the application of the MVF approach in the entire state. It has also leveraged on the support of every section of society on a village and national level to create the community pressures for ensuring sustainability
in its institutions and strategies.
The camp enabled children to catch up on missed education and serve as an adjustment period for both child and family. Opportunities were given to interact with peers of their own age and to accustom to the new lifestyle at their own pace. Parents meanwhile adapt to the changes in their child and their role as parents of a student.
are also being raised.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n non-government organisation
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
(NGO) established in 1981 in memory of educationist and historian Prof. Mamidipudi Venkataraangaiya
Mamidipudi Venkatarangayya
Mamidipudi Venkatarangayya M.A. was a multidisciplined person and financial and political scientist and historical writer of Andhra Pradesh, India. He was recipient of Padma Bhushan in 1968 by Indian Government....
. The MVF began as a research institution on issues relating to social transformation
Social transformation
One definition of Social transformation is the process by which an individual alters the socially ascribed social status of their parents into a socially achieved status for themselves. However another definition refers to large scale social change as in cultural reforms or transformations...
. Today, the Foundation is building the capacities of community in rural and urban areas for abolition of child labour by universalizing social education. It uses an “area-based” approach instead of a target based approach. The area based approach concentrates on protecting the rights of every children and ensuring all of them attend full time formal education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
. It draws plans for children to withdraw from work and prepare them to be integrated into schools. Schemes were also designed to ensure that children are retained in school and will continue to do so without any disruption.
Objectives of the MV Foundation
Universalizing of formal education has been one of the foundation's key objectives.It seeks to address the rights of the entire universes of children- both in school and out of school - in the 5-14 age group and its area of operation. It sees children who are deprived of education opportunities as intrinsically hazardous to their growth and well-being. The MV Foundation also ensures that every child attending school does so without any disruption until she reaches class 10 since there is no guarantee that the child does not get pushed out of school to join the labour force again.Impact of the MV Foundation
Over the years, nearly 420,000 children have been enrolled and retained in school, more than 4000 bonded labourers have been released and 168 villages in Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
are now child labour free. The core strategy of MV Foundation to achieve its objective of transforming child labours to students is through the residential bridge camps.It has been implemented in more than 6000 villages and an estimated 45000 child labours have thus benefited from these bridge camps. Through the Stop Child Labor Campaigns and Child Rights Protection Forum (CPRF), they had successfully mobilised communities to establish a social norm against child labour and to understand that school is the fundamental right of a child
Children's rights
Children's rights are the human rights of children with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to the young, including their right to association with both biological parents, human identity as well as the basic needs for food, universal state-paid education,...
.
The greatest impact is the direct cooperation of the MV Foundation with the government of Andhra Pradesh
Government of Andhra Pradesh
Government of Andhra Pradesh is the government for the state of Andhra Pradesh in South India.It is an elected government with 294 MLAs elected to the legislative assembly for a 5 year term.-Executive:...
, facilitating the application of the MVF approach in the entire state. It has also leveraged on the support of every section of society on a village and national level to create the community pressures for ensuring sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
in its institutions and strategies.
Enrolling Children into Schools
The MV Foundations uses a variety and combination of strategies to enroll children into schools and into classes appropriate to their age. One of the strategies is the MVF Bridge Camps. They are residential camps in which children spend between three to eighteen months depending on their need.The camp enabled children to catch up on missed education and serve as an adjustment period for both child and family. Opportunities were given to interact with peers of their own age and to accustom to the new lifestyle at their own pace. Parents meanwhile adapt to the changes in their child and their role as parents of a student.
Challenges of Enrolling Children into Schools
One key concern related to the residential bridge camps is the use of residential bridge camp. There are worries that there might be the risks of a place where children’s rights are being abused rather than respected. Furthermore, concerns regarding separation of children from their own families and their cultural identityCultural identity
Cultural identity is the identity of a group or culture, or of an individual as far as one is influenced by one's belonging to a group or culture. Cultural identity is similar to and has overlaps with, but is not synonymous with, identity politics....
are also being raised.