Bhopal/Nagpur: The prolonged pandemic is hopefully receding, however, children’s future still hangs from a loose thread. Loss of education and nutrition, fear of getting infected, concern for an infected relative, loss of family income and the thought of losing a loved one to the virus – children are suffering in different ways and also grappling with mental trauma.
Pradeep Nair, a staff member of Save the Children, who is based in Bhopal, is on a special mission riding his motorcycle 6000 km across eight States for creating awareness for The Right Start – to spotlight the significance of early education, nutrition, WASH and healthcare for under five years – the most deprived and marginalised children in India.
The solo motorcycle ride from Bhopal to Thiruvananthapuram is to sensitise the larger community to think about children. He will be meeting children and youths (school/colleges) and the community at several locations enroute where Save the Children’s projects are running. He will be deviating from 50-100 km from the main route to accommodate this.
He flagged off his journey from Bhopal and will across eight States/UTs – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Goa.
Sanjay Sharma, Deputy Director, West Hub, says, “I am impressed with the attitude and passion of our team members. The pandemic has been devastating for children, especially marginalised communities. As we look forward to building back better, we must focus on the right start for every last child. A major part of brain development happens between 0-6 years, wherein a child develops essential behavioural and cognitive functions – habits, language, vision, emotional control and social skills. The early years form the fundamental building blocks of their future health, happiness, growth and development, and learning. Hence, the right start is an essential ingredient for holistic development of children.”