Seemapuri, located in North East Delhi, has a number of social maladies and civic issues that are impairing the healthy growth and development of the younger generation. Salient amongst them are youth’s addiction to tobacco, alcohol, and other forms of substance abuse and also poor hygiene and sanitation. On average, 28.48% of the Focus Group Discussion mentioned in the scoping study revolved around the topic of substance abuse. Children growing up in unhygienic surroundings are at a higher risk of death and disease and are more likely to be chronically malnourished. Tragically, these effects are often passed on to offspring, trapping families in poverty and malnutrition for generations.
To address the most salient issues that have hindered the development and growth, we have designed and developed the "Model City Project". The project is designed to use the power of football (football for development methodology) to bring children together and make them aware of life skills, health, and hygiene, health and wellness, menstrual health management, sanitation, nutrition, and environment.
The objective of the project:
1: Create opportunities for youth from underprivileged communities to develop into educated and informed community leaders.
2: Provide safe spaces for children and young girls to engage in physical activities and express themselves freely without fear of abuse and/or exploitation.
3: Encourage formal education and enhance basic life skills in a non-classroom setting using football as an instructional tool.
4: Enhance inclusion and equality in society.
5: Provide a platform for children and youth from marginalized communities to showcase their football talent and potential.
Activities:
Sanitation and Hygiene issues:
(a) creating awareness about the importance and best practices of Sanitation and Hygiene as well as COVID safeguards through 2 workshops amongst program participants and community members along with 4 F4D sessions for the program participants.
(b) Equipping a cohort of 10 youth leaders with the necessary skill set to lead community initiatives. For this, they will be trained through 2 leadership workshops and 3 F4D sessions.
(c) Organize 4 cleanliness drives involving community members and participants to sensitize the community regarding maintaining hygienic surroundings.
(d) Organizing workshops to apprise local community and program participants of available services, rights to access it, current shortcomings of hygiene and sanitation infrastructure, and means to improve it.
Health:
(a) One Awareness Workshop on Menstrual Hygiene Management for girl participants and their mothers followed by 5 workshops to educate and motivate girl participants on good MH practices. Additionally, there will be 3 F4D sessions for boys and girls participants to break the taboo of silence surrounding menstruation.
(b) 1 Mental health and emotional management awareness workshop with a specific focus on mitigation of ill effects of COVID-19 followed by one F4D session
(c) 2 interactive sessions with community representatives and participants to review and recommend to government authorities to construct separate and clean toilets for girls and boys in municipal schools.
(d) Football-based Fitness sessions for participants: 8 nos.
(e) One Awareness Workshop on Adolescent health with special focus on contraceptives
(f) One Awareness Workshop on Nutrition for participants and parents followed by 2 F4D sessions for the participants.
We have formed a coalition with 9 local grassroots workers who are already working in the Seemapuri and are familiar with the local community issues and its ecosystem. These local stakeholders comprise youth representatives, members of NGOs, an SMC member, Anganwadi workers, and local women leaders. Based on their experience, expertise, and area of influence, they are working on ground zero for identifying, mobilizing, and engaging the adolescents and youth as well as community members, organizing & conducting the workshops and cleanliness drives, etc.
