Partners between NACDOR and UNICEF

National Confederation of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR) is a national platform of more than 2100 organisations led by Dalit and Adivasi Communities (constitutionally called Scheduled Castes – SCs, and Scheduled Tribes – STs). Together, they form the largest section of socially excluded communities in India, about 26% or 300 million. The growing realization about the significance of social exclusion in its work, might have led UNICEF to enter into a partnership with NACDOR which had direct access to socially excluded communities through CBOs run under their own leadership.

UNICEF Uttar Pradesh and NACDOR

1. UNICEF UP and NACDOR organized a series of consultations in 2010-11 in different regions of UP where CBOs, social activists and community members from Dalit – Adivasi communities participated. In these consultations, experiences of exclusion while accessing government flagship programmes were directly shared by the Dalit children and women themselves in form of case studies. This sharing led a listing of barriers that these socially excluded communities’ face due to which they are not able to access government programmes aimed at them and remain untouched by the related benefits. A report titled “Learning from the Socially Excluded” was also published based on these consultations and a short documentary film “Reaching the Unreached” was also produced.
2. In the next phase ( late 2011), NACDOR and UNICEF organized “Social Inclusion Appreciation” workshops for the staff of partner organisations working with UNICEF U P. 8 workshops were organized. It was found that none of the UNICEF partner organisations were led by Dalit-Adivasi communities and only one was led by Muslim community. Most of the staff came from the dominant caste groups. These workshops sensitized them on caste based social exclusion and suggested ways to them for addressing this in their work and organisation. At the end of the series of these workshops, 40 partner organisations of UNICEF U P initiated the ‘Social Inclusion Plans’ for their improvement.
3. In the year 2013-14, both the organisations (UNICEF U P and NACDOR) signed a new agreement to lay the foundations of an “Inclusive Uttar Pradesh”. This effort again went through the consultations with organisations working with the socially excluded communities in different regions of U P. Their suggestions for improving the flagship programmes were noted. A directory of over 500 organisations working with excluded communities was compiled with their profiles. A state level network was put in place. A module was also developed for training on caste based social inclusion.
4. In the latest phase of partnership, which has just started a month ago, both the organisations have selected three most backward Districts of U P (Budaun, Shrawasti, Mirzapur). A block has been identified in each of the three districts where Dalit leaders from all the panchayats in the block will be trained in maintaining report cards on the access of Dalit families to the government flagship programmes and will help these families to improve the score. These Dalit leaders will be the candidates who won the panchayat election in the current term and the last term as they will have direct interest as volunteer in the families that vote for them.

UNICEF Delhi and NACDOR

NACDOR has been in touch with UNICEF Delhi office, though, not that frequently during last year. UNICEF Delhi supported NACDOR for its conference organized in December 2012. The conference was addressed by the Chief of India office, Mr Louis George Arsenault.