Children presenting their manifesto to Suresh Kulkarni As election season heats up, a unique manifesto has hit the scene—not from seasoned politicians or activists but from those whose voices are usually drowned out — kids. Created under an initiative called ‘Children Speak: A Collective Commitment in Empowering Children’s Voices,’ 11 NGOs across Mumbai including Prerana, Leher, Pratham, Jan Jagruti Vidyarthi Sangh, Apnalaya, Sneha, Salaam Baalak Trust and others, active in the child rights space for over two decades, teamed up to give children a platform to air their concerns and propose changes in the world they are growing up in. The result—a children’s manifesto—crafted over three months of hands-on workshops where around 70 kids from a wide range of communities across the city and surrounding districts including Vitbhatti (Goregaon East), Kamathipura and Falkland Road in South Mumbai to Dharavi, Malad, Vikhroli and Thane came together to brainstorm about their daily challenges and speak up on what matters most to them.
“We (the NGOs) have been working at the community level with children living in underprivileged areas forming collectives and encouraging children’s participation in both formal and informal committees, wherever possible. So, we thought these children should all meet each other, exchange ideas, and understand the different problems a child in Dharavi might be facing as opposed to a child living in Vashi-Turbhe or M-East Ward slums,” e.