Tasked with an activity during the lockdown, Mani (name changed) who had seen his mother make cakes wanted to cook one too. There was no oven at home, so he built a fire and made the cake in an ‘uruli’ filled with sand. Helping him all through was his family.
Mani made the cake during the second phase of the lockdown as part of a cooking competition devised by the team behind Kaval, a project of the Women and Child Development Department for psychosocial rehabilitation of children in conflict with law.
The 18-year-old boy was referred to Kaval after he was involved in a theft. Soon, there were two more cases against him. Academically bright, innovative, and a vlogger, Mani, though, rebelled against authority. The strained family ties compounded problems.
The cake-making exercise improved his relationship with parents, and they too began to support his interests, says Pavin Nath, coordinator of the Darshan Foundation that implements Kaval in Kollam.
Creative engagement
Working with children in conflict with law such as Mani is challenging at the best of the times. It was made more difficult by the months of lockdown. The Kaval team was aware that the children would need to be engaged creatively if they were to see the lockdown through safely, says Kavitha P., project coordinator, Kaval. Enter Kaval Kalari, a programme to engage the children in activities depending on their interests, be it poetry, photography, making Tik-Tok videos or posters, farming, or craft.
To guide them, the NGO coordinators sent them videos of the activities, and the children too were to shoot videos of their efforts and send them back. In an attempt to strengthen bonds, the direction was that each member of the child’s family should be involved in the task.
Even in the first phase of the lockdown, the NGO coordinators made sure to keep in touch with the children and their families over phone. Of the 1,600-odd children who are part of Kaval, the team reached out to over 1,000 who had access to mobile phones, says Sreenesh S. Anil, programme officer, Kaval.
Focus was not only on the children though. Even the Kaval team, including District Child Protection Officers, Legal-cum-Probation Officers, and NGO staff, was provided support to beat the lockdown blues. The template was similar – activities to help them manage pandemic-induced stress and equip them to face challenges in the post-COVID-19 era, says Sreenesh.
Though the restrictions have eased and the Kaval team is resuming work slowly, the Kollam NGO is sending videos to these children on personal development, habits, communication skills, and life skills with focus on creative thinking. Lockdown or not, Kaval continues to be with the children as they journey back to life and society.
