Deena Ganvir is an Adivasi rights activist and Community Correspondent form Kawardha, Chhattisgarh. Ganvir was apprehensive of failure when she started out at Video Volunteers, she felt that it was impossible for her to hold a phone, let alone a camera. She was certain that her low level of education would create barriers in the work. She felt that working…

Deena Ganvir

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For many in India, government schemes come after a long wait and a hard fight. The 42 children in remote Parivachhapar village in Chhattisgarh have learnt this lesson early in life. They have no access to a government run child-care or anganwadi centre which is supposed to provide them with their vaccinations, nutritional supplements and pre-school education.

You can help them get these facilities today. It's as easy as 1,2,3...

Call to Action: Please call Priyanka Thakur, the Women and Child Development Officer on 09329019550 and ask her to ensure that an anganwadi centre is built for the children.

Community Correspondent Deena Ganvir has championed the cause of ensuring facilities for young children- schools, anganwadis, medical care. This new generation is the future of Chhattisgarh which is currently ravaged by a war. She hopes that by ensuring that they have secure present, their future will flourish and the anganwadi is only the first step in this direction.

Started by the Indian government in 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services program, the Anganwadi is an all-encompassing health care centre for settlements. Its goals are vital and comprehensive: to combat child nutrition and hunger, to provide basic health care, and to offer pre-school education.The main beneficiaries are young children, teenage girls, pregnant women and nursing mothers.

Madhubai, a residents says there's never been an anganwadi at the village. Goverment rules mandate that there should be one for every 20 children in a community. Applications have been filed but no action has been taken yet. She says:

"We have to go to Jampani which is 3 km away. To get there we have to cross a river and jungle...For the people who need these facilities the most, infants and pregnant women, the journey is too difficult at times like the monsoon."

Can you imagine what this means? Young mothers are not getting the postnatal care they need. Young children are also denied this. Will you make a call today and secure the future for not just these 42 children but also the many who will come after?