National and international agencies work to promote child welfare in India. The key national agencies are the Indian Council of Child Welfare, Central Social Welfare Board, and others. They receive government funding and operate branches across India. Their activities include day care services, recreation facilities, and holiday programs. Major international agencies that assist India include WHO, UNICEF, and UNESCO. They aim to improve health, nutrition, sanitation, and other factors. Specifically, WHO works to eradicate diseases and raise health standards globally. UNICEF focuses on child survival, protection, development, education, and family welfare programs in India. Both agencies collaborate closely with national and local partners.
2. • “An administrative unit responsible for work
concerned with the welfare and vocational
training of children is known as child
welfare agency”.
• Child welfare agencies may be working at
national or international level.
3. National Agencies for the welfare of the children in
India are:
i) Indian Council of Child Welfare-1952
ii) Central Social Welfare Board -1953
iii) Kasturba Gandhi Memorial Trust-1945
iv) The Indian Red Cross Society-1920
V) All India Women’s Conference ( AIWC)- 1927
VI) Child relief and you - 1979
These agencies have branches all over the country.
They get financial aid from the government to
organize child welfare services in the country.
4. The activities of these agencies are:
Day Care Services for the Children of Working
Mothers.
Balwadis, Nursery Schools and Creches are set up
to care for the children of working women.
Holiday homes are organized for children in the
age group of 12-16 years. Children can spend
their holidays in hill resorts and sea side.
Recreation facilities: These comprise organization
of play centres, children libraries, children public
parks.
Bal Bhawan, Children Films, Hobby Classes and
National Museums.
5. • WHO-7April 1948
• UNICEF-11 December 1946
• International Red cross-1863
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)-1945
• United state agency for international development (USAID)
• United nations development programe (UNDP)
• International labour organization (ILO)
• United nations educational scientific & cultural organization (UNESCO)
6. The fast modern transport and the population
explosion are bringing the people of the world
closer together.
The health problems that were confined to a
segment of population of a particular geographical
area now threaten the whole world.
International health agencies i.e. the World Health
Organization and the United Nations International
Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and some other
agencies provide assistance to the developing
countries to improve their level of child care.
7. World Health Organization was established as a
specialized, non-political health agency of the United
Nations in 1948. Its headquarters are in Geneva,
Switzerland.
Its objective is to assist in the attainment of the highest
possible level of health. So it acts as Director and
Coordinator of international health work:
It establishes and maintains effective collaboration with
the Governments and other interested groups.
Provides health information and technical, educational and
other services to the countries.
Evaluates country's health problems where requested to do
so.
Stimulates and advances work to eradicate diseases &
prevent injuries.
8. Promotion and improvement of nutrition,
housing, sanitation and other aspects of
environmental hygiene.
Promotion of maternal and child health and
family welfare.
The chief concern of WHO improvement of
quality of life of the family.
Promotion of mental health.
Prevention of communicable diseases on an
international scale.
Almost all the communicable diseases have been
at sometimes the subject and concern of WHO.
The global eradication of small pox is an
outstanding example of International Health
Cooperation.
9. Health statistics has been a matter of concern of
WHO from its very inception. It has been
disseminating a wide variety of morbidity and
mortality statistics relating to health problems.
WHO publishes international classification of
diseases which is updated every 10 years.
It provides assistance to countries to improve their
medical records and in planning and operating
national health information systems.
WHO stimulates and coordinates research work
though it does not itself do research.
10. The activities of WHO are directed towards
improvement of human health.
In order to meet the special health needs of different
areas WHO has established six regional headquarters
to promote, facilitate and support national health
policy development and development of
comprehensive national health programes.
WHO has promoted the concept of IMCI (Integrated
Management of Childhood Illness) and Govt. of India
has adopted it as IMNCI (Integrated Management of
Neonatal and Childhood Illness).
WHO South East Asia region headquarter is situated in
India.
11. United Nations International Children's Emergency
Fund (UNICEF)
Child Health Care Concepts and Facilities
United Nations International Children's Emergency
Fund believes that future of mankind depends on
the well-being of our children.
Its slogan is -'The Child of Today for the World of
Tomorrow'.
It works in close collaboration with WHO and other
specialized agencies for the welfare of children and
mothers.
12. The present trend is to boost the programs which
directly benefit the mothers and children with the
concept of care of the Whole Child not only of
immediate benefit but also long term personal
development to the development of the countries
in which they live.
It is interested to meet the needs of the children
as an integral part of country's development.
UNICEF activities cover programs assisting for:-
Child survival, protection and development.
Interventions like immunization, improved infant
feeding practices, child growth monitoring.
Home based diarrhea management.
Drinking water.
13. Education --Formal and Informal: In collaboration with UNESCO,
UNICEF is assisting India in improving teaching of science by
providing:
Science Laboratories
Equipment
Workshop Tools
Library Books
Audiovisual Aids
Currently UNICEF is promoting GOBIFP for the welfare of newborn
and children. The main areas of focus are:
G : growth monitoring
0 : oral rehydration to treat mild and moderate dehydration,
B : breast feeding, and
I : immunization against 6 killer diseases e.g. measles, diptheria,
polio, pertusis, tetanus and tuberculosis.
F : Family Welfare, Female Child, Food and Nutrition.
Urban Basic Services (UBS): The aim of UBS projects is to upgrade
basic services e.g. health, nutrition, water supply sanitation and
education especially for children and women.
