Early each morning in Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh, community mobilisers set out on foot, walking through narrow village lanes toward the homes of children who are not in school. Some doors open easily; others remain closed for weeks. Moving between households, schools and community meetings, mobilisers work to persuade families that children belong in classrooms, not at work. Their daily efforts form the backbone of the Child Labour Free Zone (CLFZ) approach, a community-led commitment to ensure that every child is in school and that child labour is no longer accepted. Local authorities, teachers, employers, parents and children work together to ensure that all children attend full-time formal education, and that child labour in any form is no longer accepted. Any child out of school is considered at risk. In Khargone, this work is supported through the Growing Change project.
About the Growing Change project
Growing Change addresses the root causes of child labour in organic cotton supply chains by focusing on systemic challenges such as poverty, education and social norms. The project brings together companies and civil society partners, including Arisa, G-Star, Pratibha Syntex, Vasudha Swaraj and MV Foundation, to drive change both at community level and within supply chains.
Child Labour Free Zones
In a CLFZ, all stakeholders actively trace and approach children who are not in education — those who have never been enrolled, those who have dropped out or have been absent for long periods, and those working in fields, homes, quarries or other informal settings. Many of these children come from marginalised communities , where poverty and exclusion increase their exposure to exploitation. The goal is always the same: to reach every child, regardless of caste, gender or socioeconomic background, and support them until they complete secondary school.
Creating such a zone requires strong local involvement. Community groups, parents, women’s collectives and youth groups all play a role in shifting norms and supporting families. At the heart of this work are the community mobilisers — people who move between households, schools and community structures every day to reshape attitudes, identify working or out-of-school children, and help families find alternatives to child labour. Mobilisers act as a critical bridge between the community and local institutions, ensuring the change is locally owned and lasting.
In Khargone district in Madhya Pradesh, the organisation MV Foundation (MVF) leads this work as part of this project. MVF trains and supports community mobilisers who make the CLFZ approach possible on the ground. One of them is Monika, who works across one of the fifteen villages in the project area. Her day-to-day work offers a glimpse into the perseverance, determination, persuasiveness and negotiating skills required to make a Child Labour Free Zone a reality.
Monika’s day: between schools, homes, and the community
Monika begins her work early each morning. She first reports to a motivation centre — a community-based learning space where children are looked after and prepared for reintegration into the formal school system. Here, children receive bridge courses, rebuild study habits, and learn to adjust to a classroom environment. From there Monika often walks with younger children to the government school, making sure they arrive safely and on time. Once at school, she checks attendance, speaks with the teacher, and fills in the standard school-tracking form. If any child is absent, Monika notes it — and later plans a home visit for follow-up.
A community mobilizer is accompanying a group of children to school
Much of her day is spent in the village, going from house to house. She talks to parents about the importance of education and listens to the pressures that make child labour seem necessary, such as seasonal migration or financial strain. She knows that convincing families requires trust. She also speaks to the children themselves, many of whom are insecure and lack confidence. After months or years out of school, they believe that they will not be able to catch up or perform well academically. Monika encourages them, telling stories of older students who went back to school and succeeded, emphasising a message: a degree opens doors to better, more stable job opportunities.
She also helps parents obtain the documents needed to enrol children in school or access government benefits — a practical but essential step, especially for families who struggle with bureaucracy or do not know their entitlements. Conversations often take time. Monika pays particular attention to engaging mothers: “If you convince the mother, the father will follow.”
Sometimes parents welcome her; sometimes they resist. They may feel: “Our child, our responsibility — why should a stranger interfere?” At times like these, Monika’s work can be emotionally demanding. It can take up to ten visits to convince a child and their family. Rejection, frustration and community suspicion are all part of the job.
Beyond household visits, she also engages with community structures: local school-management committees, child-rights protection forums, parents’ groups, women’s groups, youth groups. Through these meetings she helps build broader community ownership: enrolment and school attendance are not just matters of individual families, but a collective responsibility.
Every ten days, Monika meets with her fellow mobilisers to discuss progress, challenges and small victories. She and her colleagues will also receive training on gender issues, as they recognise that male and female mobilisers face different dynamics when speaking with men or women in households — and they want to approach families in a respectful and effective way. These internal gatherings give her space to reflect, adjust her approach and stay motivated. In December, she will join an exposure visit to Hyderabad to meet more experienced mobilisers from other projects — a chance to learn, compare, and draw strength from others.
Motivation and Success
Yet Monika also sees change. She can point to small victories: in one Muslim community she helped enrol 49 children — a breakthrough in a community where school attendance has historically been low and where women rarely engage with outsiders. For her, the principle is clear: “No child should be working, all children should be in school.” This belief motivates her to keep knocking on doors that closed before, and to stay positive .
As her days unfold across schoolyards, courtyards and community meetings, Monika quietly connects families, teachers and local authorities in the shared effort to keep children in school. Her steady work helps build understanding, trust and practical solutions within the community. Over time, these small steps contribute to the larger shift: villages gradually reaching a point where they can confidently declare themselves child labour free — not because someone tells them to, but because the community itself agrees that every child should have the chance to learn.
