Smt. Madhumita Halder, Consultant, Directorate of Child Rights and Trafficking, Government of West Bengal, shared her experiences of child rescue and repatriation with the staff of the Surokhit Shaishav programme in Kolkata. Caritas India’s Surokhit Shaishav team collaborated with the Directorate of Child Rights and Trafficking, Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare (WCD & SW), Government of West Bengal, to organise one-day

Why there are so few persons with disabilities (PWDs) mainstreamed in our society? Why they are invisible even after being 2 per cent population in India? They are majorly missing in social, cultural and economic circles. Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) recognizes the equal right of all persons with disabilities to live in the community, with choices equal to others, and shall take effective

The President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, the Deputy Secretary General, Fr. Jervis DSouza, and Fr. (Dr.) Paul Moonjely, the Executive Director, appealed to all people and concerned authorities to cultivate an environment of peaceful co-existence in Manipur. A team of Catholic Church representatives led by Archbishop Andrews Thazhath visited ethnic violence-affected areas of Manipur between July

We live in a world where the use of chemicals in farming has become the norm, and it takes a lot of courage to shift to organic farming. But for one farmer in Telangana, this decision has not only improved his productivity but also increased his income. Meet Venkanna, a small farmer from a Patimeedhi village in Telangana. Like many other farmers in the region, Venkanna Rajesh was struggling to get the desired yield from the land. Despite working

Dagota is a hamlet nestled in a forest area of the Dausa district of Rajasthan with an approximate population of 500. The only way to reach Dagota is through a mountainous trail of more than 10 kilometres of rocky terrain. Reaching the village is a scary task, as there is only one private bus in the morning. The condition of the road is so poor that people prefer walking to taking their vehicles. During the rainy season, the road becomes so muddy

Internal migration, both within and across states, is a reality in India. According to the Census 2011, every third citizen of the country is a migrant and of these, 69 percent are women. However, we lack a comprehensive database of internal migrant workers including seasonal or circular migrants. The intra and inter-state migration contributes to the socioeconomic status of households and benefits both the region that people migrate to and where

In the picturesque state of Meghalaya, where rice, wheat, maize, potatoes, and tapioca dominate as staple foods, one resilient farmer's determination stands out to change the narrative. Meet Caroline Maring, a 52-year-old farmer from Pahamshiken Village of the new FARM project, she embarked on a mission to revive the long-forgotten millet, also known as krai among the Khasis. Despite its enormous health benefits, millet had been overshadowed by other

People with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty, and poverty makes disabilities more likely. Poverty and disability are interlinked, and one reinforces the other. There is an increased recognition of the importance of disability-inclusive poverty reduction strategies. Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) of People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) is one of the strategies of the United Nations that focuses on enhancing the quality of life