Child Reporters

These children at class V to VII in Orissa are not preparing for their mid-term exams.They are writing reports for a monthly journal which is a joint initiative of the District Administration and the Orissa branch of United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).The magazine talks about issues such as water shortages, lack of roads and the absence of doctors in hospitals and teachers in schools. The reports show a desire to correct the flaws.

Some of their reports...

"Our village has a large number of children. But half of them are not going to school. Their parents make them graze cattle. The children who refuse are beaten up"

"There are many liquor vends in our village. The people of our village are blowing up their day's earnings by consuming liquor at these vends. Many people are suffering from different diseases by consuming liquor"

"The Government planted saplings in our village, but they did not survive as they were planted at the end of monsoon"

This project by UNICEF is aiming to have a total of 1700 reporters with 10 reporters from each of 170 gram panchayats of Koraput in Orissa.
These child reporters will be a driving force being the development of the village and they will be monitors of the process of development plans which has been drawn in 16 villages.

The District Collector has given each child reporter a signed badge, which is pass for them to enter any Government office.

These child reporters are a force to reckon with.