GUBBACHI COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
THE CONTEXT
Migrant workers come to big cities in search of secure livelihoods. They are engaged either in the unorganised sector or in blue collar jobs like housekeeping, security or the gig economy where conditions are exploitative. Families tend to live in concentrated settlements in the IT corridors or peri-urban spaces in Bengaluru.
Their harsh living conditions are marked by:
• Daily wages, or wages tied to extreme working conditions
• Poor water supply, sanitation or electricity
• Low housing security
• Inadequate identity documents
• No access to welfare entitlements
• High out-of-pocket expenses for health
• No access to schooling
SCHOOL SUPPORT INITIATIVE
This initiative focuses on engaging with the families of children enrolled in our education programs in government schools or in our Community Learning Centre, to ensure that their education is well supported at home.
Approach:
• Identification of out-of-school children through surveys around Sarjapur Road.
• Workshops to build parental awareness on the significance of education, awareness against social perils like child marriage, child labour, substance abuse, etc.
• Facilitating ID documents with government authorities, including Aadhaar, Caste Certificate, and Income Certificate.
• Periodic health camps to screen children for their general, dental and eye health.
• Facilitating active participation of the key stakeholders (Department of Education, School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) and local Panchayats) along with parents and the community to ensure effective functioning of schools and to deliver quality learning.
JANADHIKARA
BANGALORE URBAN POOR SPECIAL PROJECT
This initiative focuses on community mobilisation to address the challenges that urban poor migrants face in Bengaluru. Our collaboration with Azim Premji Foundation on this project has made it possible to significantly deepen our impact and expand outreach.
Focus:
• Shaping the social identity of the migrant worker by facilitating government documentation prescribed by the state.
• Creating awareness of various social security benefits available to migrant workers including welfare schemes and entitlements.
• Improving the health and nutrition of migrant communities through linkages to Primary Health Centres and supplementing a healthy diet.
• Instilling financial literacy through linkages to formal banking; encouraging healthy saving practices through bank accounts and self-help groups.
• Enabling women’s empowerment through women-focused interventions on health and nutrition, financial literacy and skilling.
• Enabling youth empowerment through partnerships with suitable organisations to improve skilling and create job opportunities.
HEALTHCARE INITIATIVE
With a strong focus on pregnant women, malnutrition and non-communicable diseases, the integrated community healthcare initiative in collaboration with Azim Premji Foundation has implemented a three-pronged approach for comprehensive continuum of care:
​​​
• Community work: The set up is complemented by our dedicated team of Community Health Associates (CHAs), usually from the community itself. Each CHA is assigned around 350 households. Through engaging with each family and gaining their trust, the CHAs gather information on the health status of all members of each household, and are instrumental in linking community members to the Health Centre.
• Health clinic: We have a dedicated Health Centre with doctors, nurses, a lab and pharmacist working closely with the nearest Primary Health Centre.
• Referral system: Partner help desks are at hand to facilitate referrals to the nearest secondary care government hospital.
SUMMARY
Through our education programmes, we quickly realised that without addressing the issues that affect the larger community, it would be much harder to keep children of migrant workers in school. To that end, our Gubbachi Enable program focuses on community welfare and engagement, enabling Education, Documentation and Healthcare.