Children as agents of change in their own community

Children from a Child Starter group in Doti district working as change agents in their own community and advocating for key issues related to children.

A Child Starter group is a group of children who are involved in identifying child well-being issues from peer groups in their communities. Starter groups are an integral part of the World Vision’s Development Programme Approach where children are oriented and trained at the beginning; to identify key child well being issues, prioritize them accordingly and seek possible practical solutions. Gauri Pathak,14 a member of Child Starter group shares, “If we compare the situation of girls in the past and present, even between my older sister and myself, there is a change. Today we are able to make our own choices on matters that are directly linked to us like marriage and education. This is because of our involvement in the Child Starter group.”

22 children from 4 different VDCs were selected to form a Child Starter group in World Vision-Doti Area Development Programme.