Aralu Pre-Primary Care Center

Aralu, a voluntary organization for socio economic development has been in operation since December 1993. It works in the much neglected communities and geographic areas of Gulbarga and Bidar districts of Karnataka. It has grown working with a community of mainly dalits and other marginalized sections. Aralu's long-term objectives include integrated rural development, social and environmental awareness, education facilities, and developing depressed sections of the society. K.T.Meril founded the organization that now has ~19 staff members on its various programs.

Areas of Aralu's work

• Promotion and protection of child rights: Aralu operates pre-primary centers (PPCs) or balwadis for around 55 children in two villages. The volunteers conduct child forums in 20 villages serving around 500 children. They actively organize themselves and the communities they work with in the strengthening of 10 Government schools in 7 villages. They conduct awareness campaigns on child rights addressing child labor and girl trafficking: some core problems facing the children in the communities.
• Empowerment of the local youth and women: Aralu has formed self-help groups in 80 centers, reaching out to around 1000 women in the district. They women are trained in dairy development, carpentry, and leadership training for self-help groups. Some of the self-help groups are in clusters where the pre-primary centers are operating, with the centers serving as a convening place for the groups.
• Rehabilitation of street children and orphans: Aralu operates a residential home for 20 children and a half yearly residential bridge school for 50 children.
• Active support of Anganwadis, Government Primary Schools and Gram Panchayats in the two districts: While the Karnataka is a leading proponent of the methods and policies of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, very few resources and interest are given by the local governments to these far-flung districts for the same cause. Aralu has taken initiatives to duplicate the efforts of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in these areas and hope for their inclusion over time.

WAH 2005 will support the operation of the Balwadis operating in two villages, Kamthana and Yedlapur near the city of Bidar. While Kamthana is a town 3 kms from Bidar - with sectioned communities (Aralu serves mainly the dalits here), Yedlapur is an interior small village about 8 kms from Bidar and is comprised of mainly dalits. These centers that have been in operation since 2000, offer a welcome respite to many families, siblings and single mothers. They feel secure about the young children being taken care of well by Aralu's teachers, while they themselves attend their daily routines of work to earn their daily wages and attend schools. Aralu has been instrumental in enrolling the children form these centers into primary schools in the areas with remarkable success.

The villagers with Aralu's backing have been actively trying to get the government to start Anganwadis. The Anganwadis, which have finally been constructed after active campaigning by the communities and Aralu, will be ready for operation in a year's timeframe. This will allow Aralu to phase out of the daily operation of these centers in these villages and start similar centers in other nearby villages. Aralu will continue to monitor the work of these Anganwadis by providing teacher training and help for the children to travel to and fro from the centers.