A View from A Viewpoint

A view of Anganwadi Centre’s
from viewpoint of ‘Equity & Inclusion’

In my visit to some of the Anganwadi Centers at Bhatwari Block of Uttarkashi district, a very evident example of Equity & Inclusion can be observed and thus can make one believe a philosophy that “Our task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within ourselves that we have built against it”.

Undoubtedly there is a lot to applaud on the issue of ‘Equity & Inclusion’ with focus on Anganwadi Centers (AWC’s). But of course, with many pros, some cons also do exist.

Inequity or exclusion is when systematic discrimination is practiced against various reasons beyond control, and one such reason is differently abled person or children with special need & care. The factors may be varied but, for instance, social factors – which are deep-rooted in socio-cultural practices, are responsible for this exclusion (visible & invisible too).

Differently abled children should not be pitied or made feel something abnormal by keeping them aloof from other kids at the center or providing special consideration which draws attention of other children or by introducing them differently to the outsiders or repeatedly mentioning some quite apparent reasons behind improper functioning of any body part. These things in practice were clearly visible in the visits to the centers in interaction with Anganwadi Worker or Helper. This may affect the child’s confidence, responsiveness, expressions, emotions, participation & might make her/him unnecessarily sensitive towards his abilities.

While, when EQUITY is concerned, it takes into account varied needs of the child & aims at approaches responding to specific needs. At the level of AWC, apart from taking a special care of the children with special need & care in various terms, it is also about being concerned about relative disparities or disadvantages (in this case – psychological or emotional,  physiological, etc.) within the classroom, family or society in accessing services.

The area of concern is provision of services to be made to overcome the disadvantages out of it. At a larger picture, it is about accessibility of services to those without any significant representation or incapacity to articulate demands, etc.

The process of inclusion is also not just about providing access to services (one of the main responsibility of AWC), but to have community involvement in all the process of ensuring their rights & thus, recognize their needs, promoting their important role in planning & managing service delivery & providing training/awareness/education to ensure sustainability.

Thus, recognizing and understanding the differential needs of different children (each child is unique in her/his own way) and also identifying, supporting & implementing appropriate solutions.  

Another significant problem often seems to be overlooked at the AWC’s is absence of safe sanitation facility and hygiene practices. Though, provision of proper sanitation & attempts for its universal coverage (including public institutions) has always been a challenge for country like us.

Yet today, this is a shameful fact that these children coming to the AWC’s defecate in the open, & this is a factor contributing to the most appalling concentration of disease among them, and the poor standards of hygiene. The questions here arising are- who are these children, whom do they belong to, they are whose responsibility, why are they left out, not reached or not served, why do they not use facilities or practice the key behaviors so crucial for their own health & Hygiene.

The observation & analysis behind this issue reinforces what is already known that ‘equity & inclusion’ is not the matters only of no discrimination based on caste, religion, region, gender, economic status, etc. but also about that people (each section) is reached & served and are not shut behind/out for any reasons.

In the case of AWC’s, the issue of sanitation and hygiene practices might be getting overlooked because it requires extra efforts & energy from the worker’s or the helper’s side as the children attending center belongs to the age group of 2.5 – 6 years. If it is not so, then also mere commitment to action will not work, unless policies, investments and actions are based on the principle of equity, which is essentially the principle of fairness.

Equity & Inclusion comprises acknowledging that each child is different and need specific support and care, as well as, measures to overcome the specific impediments that stand in the way of their being able to access and use services sustainably, in this case Children with Special Need & Care & issue of Safe Sanitation and Hygiene Practices.