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Balabhadrapur restart Child Care CentreWe must thank the locals of Balabhadrapur, as they have taken enough initiative to restart the the childcare centre in their village. The old charm of the centre has back again as center has seen with the house full of children of the locals.
The Child Care Centre in Balabhadrapur, started in November 2005 was one of the most successful centers by Sterlite Foundation in Lanjigarh region. The Centre has been instrumental in bringing qualitative change among children of the village, since its inception. It has contributed in enhancing the levels of health and education of children by providing high standard nutrition and education services. Though the Centre was started with 40 children, about 80 children have been mainstreamed in local government schools as well as in the DAV Vedanta International School. All these Children have got their pre-schooling, including rhyming, calculation, writing etc from the centre. All the parents as well as villagers were very happy over the change in their children’s knowledge and behavior.
However, Children of Balabhadrapur were not fortunate enough. In the name of opposing Vedanta, some of the vested interest groups stopped the childcare centre. The centre suspended its services in December 2008. The small children those who were experiencing a qualitative change looked moaned and mourned.
It was a matter of great challenge for the Sterlite Foundation and Vedanta Aluminium to restart the same and add value to the lives of children in Balabhadrapur. The members organized regular meeting with the villagers. They counseled and clarified about the impact of childcare centre, benefits of education and nutritional support. Villagers were also appraised about the ill conspiracy of the conspirators and their deadly effect in their life. And finally, the attempts brought the desired results. It took about four months to resume the services of the Centre. Again Children in Vedanta got their smile back.
The Child Care Centre at Balabhadrapur reopened on March 22, 2009 in presence of all the villagers and children and with the renewed spirit to provide better health and education to the children in the village. Villagers were also highly enthusiastic about the reopening of the centre. “The education in the centre is very good. They also provide good food to keep our children healthy. Reopening of the centre will help in making the future of our children brighter,” said Dhan Majhi of Balabhadrapur Village.
Vedanta Aluminium Company has been successful in strengthening its support base among the local tribals, mostly Dongria Kondhs and non-tribals through consistent dialogue and discussions. it has also improved lives of local community and its acceptability among the community with its developmental interventions in the field of education, health, livelihood and infrastructure. However, some vested interest groups attempt to destabilize the development process and instigate people to oppose the Aluminium producing company.
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