Technology solutions for a safe childhood in city slums

BHUBANESWAR: “Every 8th child in India lives in slums, it’s time we start taking issues such as insecure housing, lack of sanitation system, access to clean water and lack of space to play on a much more serious note,” said Bernard van Leer Foundation’s India representative Dharitri Patnaik, Urban spaces are extending, so there is high incidence of migrated population into the city, which makes the children growing up in urban areas more vulnerable as their basic rights are not being attended.

Speaking at, a workshop organised under the campaign initiative of Humara Bachpan –Early Childhood Matters on demonstration of appropriate technology solutions for a safe and healthy environment for children, Commissioner, BMC Sanjib  Mishra said “Technology has to be judiciously distributed for sustainable development of people in urban areas. Technology can be rightly used as a weapon for eradication of issues that confront people in slums in the city; when there is an understanding about how our children will be benefited by our initiatives”.

Speaking during the workshop a slum-dweller Debashis Nayak from Bharatpur Basti said “Providing a high technological resource is not the solution, there has to be a thoughtful approach about our needs and simultaneously our children’s needs. We would only be benefited when the approach would be ‘need based’. We need technology, but that has to resolve our problems” Practical Action with its local partner Ruchika Social Service Organisation (RSSO) which has been working for justifiable use of technology for better water and sanitation facilities in Odisha aims to build a safer environment for the children growing up in urban poverty.

 “Under the campaign ‘Humara Bachpan’ we aim to create ideal urban spaces which are safer for the children living in poverty. And demonstration of the use of appropriate technology for sustainable water, sanitation and waste management will be demonstrated in the three slums, especially in schools and Anganwadis. There will be improved access to safe drinking water, and better sanitation facilities and improved hygiene practices among children in 3 slums of Bhubaneswar resulting in 40% reduction in water-borne and hygiene related diseases in the project area” said Mihir Mohanty, National Campaign Coordinator.