Saamuhika Shakti

Helping children rise above waste

Despite their essential contribution, waste pickers often struggle with poor living conditions, lack of access to healthcare, and minimal educational opportunities for their children. Many children, though enrolled in schools, are frequently absent due to missing credentials and accessibility challenges. Language barriers further isolate them from mainstream education. Gender disparities also persist, with girls often denied educational opportunities.

Saamuhika Shakti is a first-of-its-kind initiative in India, where 10 implementing organizations – Bal Raksha Bharat, BBC Media Action, Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF), Enviu, Hasiru Dala, Sambhav Foundation, Sparsha Trust, Udhayam Learning Foundation, Social Alpha, and WaterAid India - have joined forces to enable informal waste pickers to have greater agency to lead secure and dignified lives, with a specific focus on gender and equity. This project is initiated and funded by the H&M Foundation, and Sattva Consulting serves as the independent backbone.

As part of the Saamuhika Shakti initiative, Sparsha Trust is committed to empowering children from the waste-picking community by ensuring access to quality education. Working across 35 Government schools and anganwadis, Sparsha Trust is actively enrolling children from this marginalised community. Efforts include identifying never-enrolled and out-of-school children and encouraging them to learn through bridge school sessions and remedial learning programs such as the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN).

The 35 schools and 35 anganwadis are further supported with infrastructure and pedagogy development to enhance teaching-learning environments and methods, such as the installation of STEM and ICT facilities and provision of Teaching Learning Materials (TLM) to attract children to school and ensure quality education. WASH infrastructure in the schools and anganwadis also forms part of the infrastructure upgrade. To enhance conditions, Sparsha Trust worked in collaboration with Saamuhika Shakti partner WaterAid India to construct hand-washing stations and sanitation facilities.

Education & Learning Support

Bridge Classes & School Support: We provide bridge classes, BLES (Building Learning Environment in Schools), ICT-based teaching, TLMs, and STEM learning opportunities for children.
Building Brain Concept (0–6 years): Training for Anganwadi and ASHA workers to support pregnant and lactating women, ensuring effective, child-centred early childhood education.
Lead Parent Concept: Adapted from Karnataka’s ECCE model, parents receive special training on FLN (Foundational Literacy & Numeracy) to strengthen children’s learning at Anganwadi and home.
Bi-Lingual Dictionary: In collaboration with DSERT, a bilingual dictionary has been introduced to help government school children overcome language barriers, improve reading, and enhance comprehension.

Health & Nutrition

Our intervention includes maternal health support, nutrition kits for pregnant and lactating women, and awareness campaigns to address the intake of nutritious food, regular health checkups, vaccination, and critical health challenges faced by waste-picking communities.

Community-Based Learning Centers (CBCs)

We establish CBCs as safe spaces where children and youth engage in structured bridge course classes for drop-out and never-enrolled children for 6 to 14 years, learning activities, and life skill development training for 15 to 18-year-old children. These centers also serve as hubs for community engagement, like Nutrition kit distribution, gender meetings, Child rights club meetings, Mothers meetings, and organizing camps related
to social protection security schemes.

Hygiene & Sanitation Awareness

By conducting door-to-door visits, sanitation drives, and community outreach programs, repairs, and taking up new toilet constructions in Anganwadis and Schools, we educate students and families on hygiene practices, access to clean drinking water, and improved sanitation facilities.

Gender Empowerment & Social Inclusion

We work towards empowering girl child education from waste-picking communities by providing awareness and enrollment to school, creating participation opportunities, gender sensitization, formation of gender committees.

Improved FLN (Foundational Literacy & Numeracy) skills among students enrolled in Anganwadis.
Enhanced FLN learning outcomes for waste-picker (WP) students in Anganwadis.
Noticeable progress in student learning levels in schools.
Strengthened learning achievements of WP students enrolled in schools.
Positive shift in learning outcomes for children attending bridge learning programs.
Improved learning performance of WP students enrolled in bridge courses.

After the completion of the project, the responsibility for child development will be rooted within the community to ensure continuity and long-term impact.

In the next five years, we aim to:

Strengthening Stakeholders: Regular stakeholder meetings will continue to enhance the quality of education in government schools and Anganwadis. Parents, teachers, and local leaders will play a key role in promoting child-centred teaching, parental participation, and remedial education for lagging students.
Community-Based Centres: The four centres at Muneeswara Nagar, Akshaya Nagar, Sumanahalli, and Medi Agrahara will remain as common platforms for collective action. Communities will use these centres to support children’s education, monitor progress,
and foster socio-economic development.
Lead Parent Groups: Trained lead parents will mobilize and guide community groups to take ownership of children’s learning and overall well-being. They will also address issues such as gender discrimination, economic inequality, WASH, and health risks,
particularly those linked to waste picking.
Sustainability & Resilience: With strengthened linkages to schools, Anganwadis, and health institutions, communities will ensure timely access to education and health services. This community-led model will safeguard children’s rights and development,
while building resilience and self-reliance for a sustainable future.

Bridge Classes

Hygiene and Sanitation

Nutrition Kits

Gender Empowerment

Testimony

“I always came to school but never thought about my future. During the International Girl Child Day celebration, Sparsha Trust inspired me to dream. Now, I’m determined to study hard and become a teacher.”

Anu 8, Yelchaguppe community.