CIVA has been working with Butterflies to develop a children's banking programme run by the children themselves and targeted at street and working children.

The original pilot project, the Bal Vikas Bank, was established in Delhi by Butterflies with support from CIVA's YouthBank India programme.

The bank provides a safe place for the children to keep any money they have. But it also encourages saving, provides loans for older children who want to start an enterprise and involves the children as volunteers, as well as in managing the bank and being involved in decision-making.

In 2003, CIVA agreed with Butterflies a development programme to set up more children's banks in India and to pilot it in neighbouring countries. Funding was obtained from Comic Relief for this purpose, and the programme was officially launched at an event in Delhi in June 2004.

By the end of 2005, there were projects either underway or starting up in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, and an international development strategy to take this programme to other countries and continents had been agreed.

In 2006 by mutual agreement, ChildHope took over CIVA’s role in managing the Comic Relief grant and supporting Butterflies.

For more information visit http://www.butterflieschildrights.org and www.childhope.org.uk