NEEDS is running a Non Formal Center for Child Laborers and school drop-outs in Haveri since 1999. Apart from being imparting formal education and recreational activities, children are also being trained in tailoring, embroidery, painting etc. The parents of these child laborers are organized into Self Help Groups, so as to make them economically self reliant and eventually prevent Child Labor System. The project is supported by National Child Labor Programme (NCLP) and Upakriti, USA. During the last three years NEEDS has been able to put in to main stream, 116 child laborers among which 34 are female. Parents of the Child Laborers are happy about their kids continuing their education. Ministry of Labor, Govt of Karnataka provided stipend of Rs.100/- per month to the students who wanted to study and that to a certain extent motivated the parents to send their children’s to school.

Upakriti and NEEDS have identified 50 child laborers and school dropouts – below the age of 14 years with a priority to provide formal education and put them in to mainstream schooling, to provide vocational training to these children so that, they can earn while learning, to organize parents of these children and form their self help groups to increase their economic level by taking up income generating activities and motivate them so that they can continue to send their children to school regularly.  Since March 2002, the grant sent by Upakriti has been  be utilized for paying salary to organizers and vocational training providers, to provide teaching and sports material, school uniform, bags and vocational training materials to child laborers and school drop-outs.