Centre for the Study of Social Change

CDK Project to empower slum children between the ages of 12 to18 started in June 2013, with the technical and financial support of Butterflies, from New Delhi. Children’s Development Khazanna (CDK) is a programme which teaches children financial management as a life skills education. They are taught to manage their own banks on cooperative principles. Children`s Health and Sports cooperatives (CHSC) were added later non to stress the importance of safe and healthy living and to reduce their vulnerability to preventable illnesses. These cooperatives have Child Health Educator and Child Sports Educator for the peers who take care of physical and mental well-being This project is conducted in slums of H/E ward in population registered with CSSC and visited by CSSC Health Volunteer ladies. Butterflies, a Delhi based child rights NGO offered us to conduct their innovative CDK project in our field area. Project started in June 2013, as a vehicle to empower slum’s children with their technical and financial support. Children’s Development Khazanna (CDK) is a programme which teaches children financial management as a life skills education. As part of practicum children manage their own banks on cooperative principles. The objective of CDK is to promote life skills education through democratic participation, leadership, inculcate knowledge of cooperative and financial management, prioritizing needs, budgeting, vocational/technical skill, banking principles, basics of management principles, and fundamentals of accountancy- providing saving, credit facilities and promoting a habit of entrepreneurship. In later years the Chidren`s Health and Sports cooperatives were added to stress importance of safe and healthy living to stay healthy and reduce their vulnerability to preventable illnesses. These cooperatives have Child Health Educator and Child Sports Educator for the peers who take care of physical and mental well-being In CDK, members nominate their own child volunteer managers (for six months). Children manage their own Khazanas on cooperative principles and they focus on learning a professional skills or becoming entrepreneurs under the guidance of Adult Facilitator (Focal Person). Thus CDK helps them to come out of their situation of poverty and insecurity. From October 2023,after Butterflies funding was discontinued CSSC and Rotary Group of SoBo have been funding the CDK project. There are regular meetings at the contact point in the field area where the focal person covers varied range of topics related to CDK & CHSC including for banking activity, sports activity , health activity and preparation for the program in Churi Hall in CSSC bldg .