The Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC) was founded in 1988 to organize people at the grass-roots and to bring HRE to them. It believes that the human rights movement can be sustained only if it serves the needs, exigencies and initiatives of the grass-roots.
It operates through networks and organizations in districts and their representatives. It focuses on women, children, bonded workers and the so-called untouchables. This discussion, however, is limited to INSEC programs for children.
In 1996, INSEC introduced programs for school children with four major objectives:
First, INSEC organized regional workshops for school teachers on the UN Convention on CRC and laws protecting children, and so on. The teachers discussed ways to form children's groups in schools and to take this message to parents. Interaction programs with headmasters of primary and high schools informed them of INSEC programs and made them aware of children's rights.
Second, human rights and child rights literature was disseminated to school children. Students were encouraged to join speech, essay and poetry contests on themes dealing with their rights. Programs were also designed to sensitize parents. School teachers, particularly headmasters, were encouraged to bring the message of HRE to parents and other community members.
Child awareness groups (CAGs) were formed in 200 schools in Nepal, at the rate of 5 schools in 40 districts (with INSEC networks). The CAGs coordinate various school programs, such as school compound cleaning, poetry and essay contests, a wall journal, community programs, such as community inoculation, tree planting, etc.
Leading students participated in district-level seminars and workshops on CRC. Students in CAGs helped the government's national inoculation administration program by showing communities how relevant and important it is.
Selected essays and poetry on child rights will be published.
The older children in CAGs will run literacy classes for out-of-school children to prepare them for formal education and organize programs on CRC in communities.