HYDERABAD, 16 May 2026: In a significant step towards addressing the growing need for affordable urban childcare, Mobile Creches, in partnership with the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), today inaugurated a Self-Help Group (SHG)-led Community Shishu Crèche in the Malakpet community of Hyderabad.
The centre combines two urgent priorities facing low-income urban communities: access to safe, reliable childcare and livelihood opportunities for women. Through Mobile Creches’ “Care Circles” model, local SHG women are trained and employed as “Carepreneurs,” managing childcare centres within their own communities while supporting working families in the informal economy.
The inauguration was held in the presence of Chief Guest Ms. D. Divya, IAS, Mission Director, MEPMA; Sri K. Satyanarayana, Zonal Commissioner, Charminar Zone; Devender Reddy, Joint Commissioner, UCD, GHMC Headquarters; Ms. Sujata, SMC, MEPMA; Ms. Karina, UNDP; Ms. Padma, Project Officer, GHMC; Mohd Abdul Salam Shahid, Ex-Corporator, Chawani Division; along with representatives from GHMC and the Mobile Creches team.
Speaking at the inauguration, Smt. Divya, IAS, Mission Director, MEPMA, said:
“This Community Shishu Crèche Centre is more than a childcare facility — it is a critical support system for working women in Malakpet. The centre will provide safe, nurturing, and reliable care for children aged 6 months to 6 years for 8–10 hours every day, enabling mothers to work with dignity and peace of mind knowing their children are safe, cared for, and learning.”
India’s childcare gap remains substantial, especially in urban areas where millions of women work in the informal economy without access to dependable childcare support. Existing childcare services meet only a small share of the demand, leaving many mothers to balance long work hours, daily commutes, and caregiving responsibilities without adequate support systems.
The Malakpet centre has been designed to respond directly to these realities. Located within the community itself, the crèche reduces the burden of long-distance travel for working mothers and ensures children have access to safe care close to home.
The model focuses on creating accessible, affordable, and community-owned childcare systems.
Under the initiative:
• SHG women trained as “Carepreneurs” earn approximately INR 17,000 per month, creating a viable local livelihood opportunity
• The centre operates Monday to Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., aligning with the working hours of informal-sector workers
• Children receive nutritious meals, regular health check-ups, and age-appropriate early learning support
• Shared community infrastructure helps keep childcare affordable for low-income households
The initiative also aims to address the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work carried by women, which continues to limit female labour force participation across India. By redistributing childcare responsibilities through professionally managed, community-based systems, the model seeks to enable more women to participate in paid work while ensuring better early childhood outcomes.
The SHG-led structure is intended to strengthen community ownership while creating a scalable model for urban childcare that can be adapted by urban local bodies in other cities.