Sakshi was invited to partner with the National Mission for Empowerment of Women, Ministry of Women and Child Development for "Vatsalya Mela" celebrations. 

Sakshi "Nari Ki Choupal" meeting where we cut celebratory cakes and felicitated 24 new mothers of girl babies with gifts, sending a message to the community that the birth of a girl child is as much an occasion of celebration as of her brother and the mother is to be equally congratulated and respected. We also discussed why the girl child is important, what women's rights are and Government programs available for their protection and advancement. Click here for pictures.

"Vatsalya Mela" is the brainchild of Executive Director, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ms. Rashmi Singh, who conceived of the festival as a way to spread awareness about the importance of the girl child and available Ministry programs at the grassroot level in slum communities. Since most slum dwellers have limited literacy levels and cannot be reached through brochures, books, posters, newspapers etc, these interactive community activities conducted through grassroots NGO's who work daily in these slums are a good way to practically further the goals and implement the programs of the Ministry. 

In the words of the invite, "The Mela strives to inform people of the various policies, schemes, programmes, initiatives and activities of the Ministry of Women and Child Development and its partner organisations by showcasing activities related to women & children and convergence initiatives. The theme for this year is “Safety and Protection of Women and Child Rights”. In view of this year’s chosen theme, the Mela will try to draw attention to various burning issues concerning safety and protection of women, and the rights of the girl child. Further, it is also proposed to carry out awareness campaign on social issues related to declining Child Sex Ratio and the new Child Sexual Offence Act in different parts of Delhi on any one day between 17^th -19^th November for wider sensitization of community involving women and men, adolescent girls and boys."

Sakshi partnered through a unique grassroots initiative called "Nari Ki Choupal". Per this activity, we mobilized women and girl children and their families from the slums we work in and engaged them in both celebration and awareness generation activities.

We held a community meeting and helped the residents of the slums we work in understand the importance of the girl child and also made them aware of the programs of the Ministry of Women and Child Development that are available for the succour of the girl child and the protection and advancement of women. 

We celebrated "Balika Janamotsav" wherein we identified 24 newborn girl babies (upto 3 months) and felicitated their mothers, gave them gifts and cut a birthday cake for the children and families. This simple activity sends an emphatic social message to the community that the birth of a girl child is as much an occasion of celebration as that of her brother and the mother of a girl is to be equally congratulated not shunned.

Sakshi believes Girl Child Upliftment and Women’s Empowerment is the key to eradicating all society’s ills like poverty, crime, child malnourishment etc. For example, UN Statistics show that an educated mother is twice as likely to have a healthy child. For this reason, we run several initiatives focused on the girl child and women including health and nutrition camps, educational support from early childhood to vocational training to adult literacy, School Chalo drives, building community awareness about the importance of girls’ education through Nukkad Nataks and celebrating events like Girl Child Day and International Women's Day etc. 

For the same reason, we appreciate programs like the "Vatsalya Mela" which help us generate conversation and action around the girl child and women at the grassroots level in the communities we work in - the issues that girls and women face, their importance to society, and how to empower them for a better future not only for themselves but for our society and country.