India

Safe Kids Foundation became a member of Safe Kids Worldwide in 2006 and launched their first program in Mumbai in October 2007.

In India, preventable injuries kill more than 60,000 children each year, leaving many more disabled. Safe Kids Foundation works with nonprofit organizations, governments and schools to promote awareness and teach that accidental deaths and injuries are preventable. Safe Kids Foundation expanded its work to Delhi in 2009 and to Ahmedabad in 2010.

The Safe Kids Foundation’s Walk This Way program reaches both school children and non-school-going children through partnerships with teachers unions, the traffic police, and likeminded NGOs.

Highlights

New Partnerships Increase Reach of Walk This Way Program

Safe Kids Foundation conducted a teachers training program with Abundant Life International regarding pedestrian safety as a part of the Walk This Way program. Abundant Life International has schools all over Mumbai in various communities where they reach out to children of lower socio-economic background. Recently, 28 teachers participated in the program and were given one of three topics to present to children: 1) playing on the road, 2) being careful during the rainy season and 3) crossing the road safely.

Many teachers enjoyed conducting the sessions and found that children appreciated the interactive activities including, act out and make presentations on various topics. Safe Kids Foundation will work with a core group of teachers from Abundant Life to reach more children on a continuous basis.

Safe Kids Foundation was also invited by the Mumbai Traffic Police to train teachers of Brihamumbai Mumbai Municipal Schools, a teachers union in Mumbai. Safe Kids Foundation conducted three separate training sessions over the summer at the Traffic Police Headquarters, reaching 124 teachers during the month.

The teachers who attended are in charge of Road Safety Patrol or Physical Education in schools and will reach another group of students who are not already included in the Walk This Way programs. They were briefed on communicating road safety messages with the Play Way Method, which uses various tools such as zebra crossings, signals, and others.

Safe Kids Festival

Safe Kids Foundation in collaboration with Hillwoods Academy organized a “Safe Kids Festival” to generate awareness among children about pedestrian safety. Inter-school competitions were organized at Hillwoods Academy with the theme, “Let’s Make Roads Safe for our children”. Wide participation from many schools in Delhi made the festival a success.

In addition to competitions, students of Road Safety Club participated in fun games and watched films. Safe Kids Foundation’s Cartoon film on Road Safety was thoroughly enjoyed by students. A Traffic Police mobile van which explained road safety rules was a major attraction. The highlight of the day was the Prize awarding ceremony which was presented by Dr. A.K. Walia, Honorable, Minister of Health and Family Welfare of Delhi. 1000 students took a pledge to be a “Safe Kid” and to recruit more of their peers adopt similar behaviors.