Chronologically speaking:

• On 09.12.2000 – DPEP officials conducted a meeting with Mandal level officers and Teacher Association members on the concept of UEE. DPEP had identified four mandals to be taken up for UEE. On 01.02.2001 a District Level meeting was conducted at Pragathi Bhavan.
• From 04.02.2001 to 05.02.2001 Mandal Education Officers and Mandal Resource Persons attended M.V. Foundation Bridge Camps in RR District.
• On 10.02.2001 action plan prepared by the four Mandal teams.
• From 05.03.2001 to 23.04.2001 conducted “Avagahana Sadhasulu” at Habitation level to gear up public support.
• In a meeting with DPEP officials on 6th June 2001, the Collector decided to take up Veilpur mandal on pilot basis instead of taking it in all the 4 mandals.
• On 12th June, 2001 as a part of the “Chadukunnam” program “Chaduvu Panduga” week was organized to focus on enrolment.
• On 16th June 2001 a meeting of Head Masters and villagers of Veilpur mandal was conducted to motivate parents of unenrolled, never enrolled and dropped out children and assess the enrolment process.
• Preliminary survey identified 398 children out of school or as child labors.
• Intensive drive was launched on 25th June 2001 in Vailpoor Mandal to ensure 100% enrolment. A detailed action plan was prepared and strategies worked out under the guidance of District Collector and under the leadership of Sri B.R. Jagadishwar Goud, Addl. Project Coordinator, DPEP. A team consisting of Sri P.Sudhakar Rao, Community Mobilization Officer, DPEP, Smt. G.Nirmala Kumari, Girl Child Development Officer, DPEP, Sri Prakash, Laxman, Srinivas Reddy, Mandal Resource Persons of Vailpoor was dispatched to the Mandal for intensive campaign. The team stayed in the Mandal, visited each hamlet in the Mandal a number of times, made personal contacts with each household, each caste/religious groups and each Village Development Committees to inspire and involve them to ensure 100% enrolment of school age children.
• On 9th July 2001 Dist. Collector addressed all Head Masters, School Education Committee members and Mandal Core Team Members of Veilpur. Collector honored the employers who had voluntarily released the children working as child labor in their business as a part of the drive.
• Posters threatening criminal action on employers refusing to relieve child labor were pasted all over the mandal. Local Sub Inspector of police made rounds along with team members to send a message to “stubborn” employers.
• From 19th July to 22nd July 2001 mobilization drive was takenup at Habitation level.
• Based on the varied experience gained, strategies were reworked and a reoriented drive was started on 27th July, 2001.By this time, initial resistance and indifference of villagers had turned into a curiosity and co-operation. Elected representatives of the Panchayati Raj (PR) institutions like Sarpanchs and Mandal President, Mandal parishad members, Zilla Parishad member and caste elders started taking active part.
• On 1st August, 2001 Bridge camp for Boys at Veilpur was opened by the District Collector. 25 children who were never enrolled/ dropped out were enrolled that day.
• On 8th August 2001 a meeting of the Village Development Committee, Vailpoor was conducted. District Collector participated in the meeting to drive in the message.
• On 11th August, 2001 a Girls Residential Bridge course camp at Mahila Pranganam, Perkit was opened by the Collector. 76 Girl Children were enrolled on that day.
• Kalajathas were organized by professionals to motivate the parents and children of different social and economic sectors.
• “Balakala Brindams” were constituted tapping the talents of children enrolled in the bridge schools in presenting cultural programs on enrolment. They staged street plays to inspire the left over children to come to school.
• Very Effectively used child-to-child motivational technique in roping–in the children engaged in child labor in farms, hotels, cattle grazing, cycle shops etc.
• All Village Development Committees(VDCs) were motivated to condemn child labor in all forms and resolutions were taken from all VDCs, Gram panchayats assuring that they would not let any child labor in their area.
• They promised to boycott and impose fines on those who engaged child labor or refused to send their children to school.
• “Oath” also taken by caste elders not to use the labor of children in their village for any occasion. Friday meetings were conducted with Muslim leaders to motivate them to send their children to school.
• Resolutions were taken in the month of September 2001 from Gram Panchyats stating that they supported 100% enrollment of children of the age group 5-14 years and that they would ensured no child labor in the village.
• The team caught hold of children engaged in labor at their work spots-from fields, forests, grazing grounds, cycle shops, hotels etc and admitted them in bridge schools.
• On 8th September 2001, the district level program on the “International Literacy day” was conducted at Veilpur. The local MLA, other elected representatives, VDCs and District Collector participated in the program.
• Co-operation in the form of men and material from the villagers poured in. On 12.10.2001, VDC Vailpoor donated 40 steel boxes to the Bridge Camp children.
• State Bank of Hyderabad, Vailpoor branch and Vailpoor press club donated toothpastes, brushes and soaps to children. Addl. Project Coordinator (DPEP), provided one Black & White television. Local Doctors offered to visit the camps without any charges. Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies sponsored uniforms.
• Mr. Baji Reddy Govardhan, local MLA sponsored 100 Blankets for the children.
• Mr. Ganga Reddy, local MP sponsored 100 shoes for the children.
• A Teachers’ convention was conducted on 27.10.2001 to ensure 100% retention of the children so painstakingly enrolled.
• Retention protection committees were organized at habitation and Mandal level. These committees were given responsibility of retention of the children.
• In course of time it became a self-sustaining and villagers driven program.
• Villagers proudly erected display boards in each village declaring that “children in the village who are not attending the schools as ‘0’ (ZERO)”.
• On 2nd October 2001 Veilpur was declared as Child labor free mandal.
• By then 539 never-enrolled/dropped-out children were brought back to the school. All 8057 children in the mandal were in schools!
• Under the Andhra Pradesh Compulsory Primary Education Act 1982, all Grampanchayats passed resolution committing to ensure 100% enrollment and retention of school age children. According to the provisions of the act, On 1st November, 2001 a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by the Sarpanches and District Education Officer. District Collector signed on behalf of the Government. This is to the effect that the Grampanchayat would ensure 100% enrolment of children in their panchyats and the Government would ensure necessary support in the form of schools and teachers.

• Total involvement of the community in the program. The community ensured the success and sustenance of the program.
• Whole hearted involvement of the elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (Sarpanchs, Mandal Parishad and Zilla Parishad members), MLA, Caste elders, Village Development Committee, women groups, professionals like doctors and advocates, business and trading community, youth clubs, agriculture societies, press, media & other sections of people in the program.
• This program was started, developed and sustained by the motivation given by Governmental organizations. Seeing the success, NGOs got tagged on later.
• The sustenance of the movement was taken over by the community totally.
• In the next year (2002) all 5 year old children were enrolled by the community.
• Though veiled threats had to be used initially to force shopkeepers and moneylenders to release their child labors, no criminal cases were booked against them. Pressure of the community forced them to release the children.
• All shopkeepers have put up boards displaying that they do not have any child labor in their establishment.
• A Formal MOU was signed between villagers and Government for the first time in the history of Andhra Pradesh for 100% enrolment and retention of the children. According to this, local communities guarantee to send all children of the age group 5-14 years to schools, 100 % retention of all enrolled children and total absence of child labor in their area. Government, in turn, ensure teaching and learning materials, infrastructure facilities and teachers.
• Villagers, showing their total commitment and willingness for a long-term association with the program, have put up display boards in each village.
• There is a sense of pride in the villagers that all their children are in schools.
• Even after ONE and half YEARS, there is 100% retention.
• This success has inspired people of the neighboring mandals to achieve 100% enrollment. Yedpally, Renjal, Nandipet, Morthad, Jakranpalli mandals have achieved 100% the enrolment.
• Inspired by the success of the program, the district administration came out with a program called “BALYA RAKSHA” to eliminate child labor from the district. This was launched on 1st January, 2002.
• All 34 child labor schools run under the National Child Labor Program were renamed as “Balya Raksha” Schools.
• Encouraged by the success another Ten Balya Raksha Residential Bridge Course centers and four hundred and forty eight Balya Raksha Non Residential Bridge Course Centers have been started in the district.