About Us
Children, who are neither part of the vote bank nor a voice that matter, are often lost in the worldly chaos of the grown-ups. Does that mean children and their rights remain a forgotten cause for most of us? Well, No. Our Constitution grants rights to our children and there is no reason why we can ignore them either.
So, we at India for Children emerge as the beacon of hope championing their rights. As the sole Media and Communication organisation in the country committed to child rights, our mission is to thrust the crucial cause of child rights onto the front page and into mainstream media, advocating for a world where every child is educated, secure, happy, and free to simply be a child.
Our extensive clientele comprises over 250 NGOs across India who have been working for child protection and child rights across the globe. One of our major clients, ‘Just Rights For Children’ is a network of civil society organisations in India and abroad and is the driving force behind the ‘Child Marriage Free World’ Campaign to end this crime by 2030. In India, besides stopping 2.5 lakh child marriages, many landmark judgments to ensure child protection have been due to the petitions filed by the ‘Just Rights for Children’. Our other client ‘India Child Protection’ is working relentlessly in the field of online child sexual abuse and have been mobilising voices and opinions around the world on the urgency to act. ‘Association for Voluntary Action’ has been working with state governments, state police and Railway Protection Force against child trafficking, nabbing traffickers, busting rackets and rescuing children from child labour.
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Since our launch in 2017, India For Children has been at the forefront, advocating for and bringing attention to all the issues that our extensive clientele works for. India For Children while working with a vast clientele engaged in child rights issues, has brought the issues of Child Marriage and Child Trafficking to the forefront and made them a part of the public discourse.
From extending our consistent support and ensuring media engagement in the country’s largest campaign against child marriage to effectively promoting the cause through social media and reaching out to the masses and policymakers alike, you will find India For Children leading from the front.
In addition to our relentless advocacy efforts, we offer a comprehensive suite of image-building services, including media engagement, corporate branding, and image strategy. These services empower us to amplify the voices of the children we represent, ensuring their stories reach the hearts of those who can make a difference. Our strength lies in the network of local and regional media, which is one of the most important parts of the media landscape. The local outlets ensure that issues pertinent to children are widely read and debated.
OUR EXPERTISE
Ironic as it may sound, but child rights is a difficult issue to draw everyone’s attention to. Not being the voters or voices against the apathy they go through, children often get a rough hand in vulnerable situations.
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But here at India For Children, we stand to fight their cause and be their voice. For this, we employ a spectrum of communication tools, spanning print and digital media, radio, television, films, and more, to sculpt a world where every child thrives – educated, healthy, secure, and happy. Our commitment to best-established business practices in the child rights sector is mirrored in a collection of image-building services, encompassing strategic image development, corporate branding, media engagement, communications, partner relations, and more.
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Here’s a glimpse of our impactful initiatives.
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Communication Strategy: Advising clients and companies on reputation-building opportunities, we strategically navigate both traditional and social media platforms to propel our mission.
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Journalist Training Programs: We actively organize training programs for journalists, arming them with insights into the intricate realm of child rights.
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Social Media Management: Crafting social media strategies, creatives, and managing channels for Partner NGOs, we ensure their voices resonate across digital landscapes. We also train our partner NGOs about social media for a larger reach.
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Network Building: We tirelessly create a network of organizations unified in their support for child protection and related causes.
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Multimedia Initiatives: From compelling films to insightful publications and engaging art and theatre for children, we leverage multimedia to tell impactful stories.
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Content Development: Our expertise extends to the development of rich and resonant content that amplifies our advocacy.
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Event Organization: We take pride in organizing events that bring attention to critical child rights issues, fostering a platform for meaningful discourse.
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Research: We undertake extensive research on the issues of child rights that act as a strong foundation while strategizing, media planning, content development and training programmes.
Our Mission
Our mission is to give a voice as well as a platform to issues related to child rights. Media around the world has so far lent little or negligible space to children’s issues. However, we endeavour to bring these issues to the mainstream and provide impactful and solution-oriented communication modules. We strive to create strategic partnerships to amplify advocacy on child rights, and support our clients’ events and initiatives –for the cause of children.
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Our mission is not just about raising awareness but driving tangible change, ensuring that every child's voice is not only heard but also heeded.
Our Vision
At India For Children, we envision a future where children's issues are at the forefront of national consciousness. Through diverse media and communication tools, we aim to protect childhoods, raise awareness, and engage stakeholders in a collective effort to champion the rights of every child. Our goal is to build a robust community dedicated to advancing the child rights agenda and shaping a brighter future for India.
Our Team
Anil Pandey
Executive Director, India For Children
Anil Pandey, Executive Director, India For Children, is a media strategist, political analyst, and writer, and he has been extremely instrumental in amplifying the media coverage of child rights issues in India. In his over 25 years of professional experience, he has covered everything from grassroots politics to Lok Sabha elections.
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As the executive editor of The Sunday Indian, he managed the edition in 14 languages across the country, while as the correspondent of Jansatta, he was known for his investigative reporting and political analysis. He also worked as a producer in Star News where he explored the many layers of electronic media and analysed the nuances of this medium as well.
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Presently, Mr Pandey is also the chairman of NUJ School of Journalism and Communication, an institution for journalists. As a writer and a creative individual, he has also been behind the script of many award-winning films and documentaries. He is the Advisory Panel Member of the Central Board of Film Certification.
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Now Mr Pandey uses his mighty pen and a mightier voice so that millions of children can have their voices heard in the media today.
Paroma Bhattacharya
Assistant Director
Paroma Bhattacharya is a persuasive, strong, empathetic individual working in the field of communication for almost 15 years and as a journalist in publications such as Dainik Jagran and Hindu. Leading from the front, Paroma is known to walk the talk and help amplify our child-related issues in national and international media. Her strong affinity towards theatre, her decades-long work experience and her strong sense of righteousness infuse a rare energy full of passion and warmth in India For Children. Add to all this, the fact that she is now a mother makes the cause much more personal.
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She has participated as a Speaker on the behalf of National Commission of Women and Social Development Welfare Society at various forums. Known for her genuine, interpersonal style, Paroma continues to strengthen media/vendor relationships and build cross-departmental cooperation. At the young age of 29, she bagged the ‘GMM Gaurav Samman’ for her contribution to the media and social sector.
Jitendra Parmar
Jitendra Parmar is a seasoned public relations professional with more than 25 years of experience in handling Media Relations, Media Strategy and Image Building. His strong sense of righteousness only hones his skills and infuses passion when advocating child rights issues to the media and public.
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Adarsh Singh
Adarsh Singh, who leads Hindi Content at India For Children, is a man of few but extremely powerful words. He has worked in some of the leading Hindi dailies like Jansatta and Dainik Jagran in his almost 30 years of journalism career and is now with India For Children to be part of the change that matters! Known for his political acumen, knowledge both in Hindi and History, he is the man who doesn’t mince words!
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Swaty Prakash
Swaty Prakash has myriad experiences in journalism, academics, publishing, mental health and communication skills. But the core skill that she carried through her many jobs and industries in the last two decades is her writing. An alumunus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Swaty started her career in journalism with Indian Express and then moved to Press Trust of India, The Statesman and Hindustan Times before shifting to publishing, teaching and poetry. During her over 20 years of professional journey, she has strived to convey the toughest of messages in the simplest words always!
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Pooja Punetha
Pooja Punetha is quite literally the voice behind India For Children! A noted author, voice-over artist and radio presenter, Pooja has been working on child rights issues in her over two decades of experience. She was also the Child Rights Expert at the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and now ensures that children's issues remain at the forefront through social media from reels, and poetry to hard-hitting videos to compelling case studies.
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Arshad Hussain
Arshad Hussain brings with him experience that spans over thirty years in all forms of print journalism, including Press Trust of India, The Observer of Business & Politics, The Asian Age, Greater Kashmir, Hong Kong-based Breaking News Network, and European Press Network, where he crafted impactful news content. The Hindustan Times awarded him the prestigious K K Birla Fellowship for 2002-03 for his work on victims of violence in Jammu and Kashmir. He also bagged the Parliamentary Practice and Procedure Fellowship from the Institute of Constitutional Studies, New Delhi in 1998.
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Vinayak Das
Vinayak Das is the Media Consultant at India For Children and is quite a popular name in media circles. His experience of over 35 years makes him the ideal granddad of the team who has immense repertoire of knowledge, resources and stories to keep the team moving. Vinayak ji has served as Special Correspondent, Bureau Chief, Resident Editor, Manager, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer in various media houses.
Iffat Jawed
Iffat Jawed, a Journalism (Hons.) graduate from Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, manages the social media game at India for Children. With her finger on the pulse of social media trends, Iffat with the social media team at India For Children crafts impactful campaigns, engaging reels, and meaningful posts that resonate with audiences. If it’s trending and making a difference, chances are Iffat had a hand in it!
Harish Prajapati
Harish, who has both a Master’s in Business Administration as well as Social Work, is now the master of data and numbers at India for Children. From the number of media coverages in all the national dailies to the news item that garnered maximum coverage in an obscure district in any Indian state, he is the one with all the information on his fingertips.
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