Rural Awareness and Development Programmes

Stopping child marriage

MASS has run this work for 20 years, and its staff have stopped 34 child marriages. Schools and doctors help confirm the ages of brides and grooms, so MASS has explained to them the evidence on which age can be confirmed.

Legal support service

This service has given MASS much of its public visibility. It is open to people who are not members and to communities beyond the Devadasi community. So far it has settled 718 disputes outside court, working with families, local leaders and Panchayat members.

Child rights in remote villages

Child Rights and You (CRY), Bangalore, funds a MASS programme to protect children's rights, focused on Dalit children, in 16 remote villages of Chikkodi block. The work includes:

• Advocacy for quality education, school access for all children, adequate nutrition and anganwadi facilities that meet required norms.
• Stronger efforts against child marriage, the Devadasi system, child prostitution and child trafficking.
• Pressing for better supplementary food from the ICDS scheme and monitoring the local PDS ration shop.
• Health camps for malnourished children.
• Working toward 100% enrolment and bringing dropouts back to school.
• Forming adolescent, youth and mothers' collectives.
• Special coaching for seats at Navodaya and Morarji schools.

Reported results

• 834 students trained for the entrance exam, of whom 71 won places at these schools.
• Government sanctioned a high school in Jagnoor and in Miraparatti village.
• Three children rescued under the POCSO Act.

Figures are as reported on MASS's website in January 2020, the latest published date for this material.