Leher has been implementing a pilot community led child protection intervention in the District of Madhubani, Bihar, India since 2014, using participatory processes to test and learn the potential of local leadership of communities in demanding and securing child rights and protection. Leher’s vision is a society where caring families, alert communities and a responsive government work together to ensure rights and protection for every child.
In June 2017, Leher developed a “Virtual companion aka a VCPC Tool Kit” in partnership with the State Government of Maharashtra, Maharashtra State Child Protection Society (MSCPS) and UNICEF, to build synergy (linkages and relationships) between communities, young people and the child protection system. This VCPC Tool Kit is a knowledge kit aimed at strengthening community-led child protection mechanisms. It helps bridge the gap left by the dearth of human resources and assumes that communities must take up this work by themselves.
The VCPC toolkit handholds grassroots child protection workers and members of VCPC as they begin a journey towards social change. The tool kit aims to provide a foundation for VCPCs to build their mandate and work. The VCPC toolkit comprises 8 films and 5 IEC materials which speak to VCPC and community members. It also includes a training manual with more than 30 hours of training for trainers who have the opportunity to train, interact, orient VCPC such as the District Child Protection Units (DCPU) staff, community mobilisers from NGOs/government, youth volunteers, and VCPC members themselves.
