Child Fund starts it's Odisha office

BHUBANESWAR: With a sole objective of empowering marginalised and socially excluded children and youth to participate in their self as well as community development process, ChildFund India, part of ChildFund International -- the oldest, largest and most respected child development organisation, inaugurated its Odisha State office here today.

In a special function organised to mark this occasion, ChildFund India, which has been working in India for over 60 years and since 1966 in Odisha, announced its plans of spending about Rs 100 crore in the next five years to help save the childhoods of about 100,000 more deprived, excluded and vulnerable children and youth in the state.

At present, the organization assists over 50,000 children and their families in 8 Districts such as Malkangiri, Kalahandi, Puri, Kendrapara, Rayagada, Koraput and Dhenkanal. Now, the organization plans to expand its operations in more areas with special focus on disadvantaged children, particularly the youth in the slums that are sprouting in the suburbs of all major cities like Bhubaneswar.

“We have been working relentlessly towards the betterment of various socially-excluded and marginalized communities and tribal groups. Now, we are also focusing on the disadvantaged children and youth in the slums as part of our efforts to bring them to the mainstream,” said Mr Dola Mahapatra, National Director of ChildFund India.

“You might know that urbanisation in Odisha is one of the highest in the country. And it brings in with it large scale immigration and poverty. The condition in urban slums is worse than that in some rural villages. The children, particularly the youths, are becoming victims of this condition. They are increasingly alienating from the mainstream. We need to address this problem.

“This is why we have decided to set up youth skill development centres and indigenous youth leadership centres. The aim is to help develop the futures of the marginalized and vulnerable youth,” he added.

Mr Mahaptatra also stated that their new Odisha Office would also act as a hub for overseeing ChildFund India’s projects in the Eastern Region which includes Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.

Health and Family Welfare Minister of Odisha Dr Damodar Rout, who was the Chief Guest of the event, hailed ChildFund India for its unique interventions that aim not only at the well-being of needy children but also of the community they belong to.

He also suggested the organization to work more extensively to tackle the issues like malnutrition especially in the tribal communities.

Addressing the audience, Guest of Honour, Shri Arun Kumar Sahoo, Minister of Information, Public Releations and Energy, emphasized on how the society can help children to grow not only as a successful individual but also a good citizen. “We need to build the national character of the young children, rather than their personal character,” he said, while praising ChildFund India for its efforts in turning children into leaders of change.

Other guests of the event included eminent Odia film personality Mihir Das and Rajya Sabha MP Baishnab Charan Parida, who called for NGO accountability and transparency.

The event was concluded with a cultural program by ChildFund India sponsored children who enthralled the audience with some splendid dance and theatrical performance.