In an initiative to provide basic knowledge and skills to children from marginalised communities to prevent them from being victims of cybercrime, collaborated with WNS Cares Foundation (WCF) and the Department of Education at the district level in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The project was implemented in 2557 government schools across three districts. It eventually supported 5.5 lakh beneficiaries in the span of eight months.

The project impacted 4,00,000 children and adolescent students who received CyberSmart certificates after the successful completion of cyber safety sessions. WCF CyberSmart is India’s first holistic cybersafety education portal that enables gamified learnings using thematic quiz-based modules based on curriculum advisory and challenges that children encounter in cyberspace. It also reached out to 1,50,000 parents and caregivers for enhancing their capacities for ensuring cyber safety for their children. As a part of the initiative, training programs were organised for coordinators who were sensitized and oriented on carrying out cyber smart sessions with children and community members. The education department approval was also received to ensure the complete willingness of teachers in supporting this initiative. A total of thirty-two facilitators were trained to visit schools and they conducted sessions in selected schools.

Speaking on the initiative, Rajesh Ranjan Singh, Country Director, ChildFund International India said, “The pandemic has advanced the use of technology amongst everyone including the marginalised communities. This makes the children vulnerable to cybercrimes. This rapid shift has not only exposed regional and household disparities regarding access to technologies but it has also brought to light the pertinent issue of online child sexual abuse. Hence, through this project we aim to educate children and create awareness on internet safety which will in-turn allow them to explore the online world without exposing them to its dark side. We are grateful for the support we received from WNS Cares Foundation in achieving the desired outcome. We look forward to replicating the model in more regions of India to make communities and children more resilient to online abuse.”

The current pandemic has thrown light on the intense need to prioritize cybersecurity. As a child focused agency, we have a responsibility to educate children, particularly those from vulnerable backgrounds, to keep them protected in cyberspace. Being cyber smart is not a choice anymore, it must become a way of life. Hence, ChildFund India partnered with WCF initiative to make sure that the understanding related to cyber safety reaches more and more children in our working areas.

About ChildFund India

ChildFund India works towards ensuring that children from the most marginalized sections of the society become able, confident and responsible adults. For over seven decades, we have been committed to addressing critical issues related to children’s holistic development by engaging key stakeholders including families, communities, schools, government and the children themselves. We provide comprehensive support to children through interventions that integrate health, nutrition, gender, education, livelihoods and child protection. To learn more, visit: https://childfundindia.org/