| CINI's girls' shelter 'Amader Bari' (Our Home) makes a meaningful change in the lives of children who have been sleeping or working on the streets of Kolkata. The shelter caters for both the immediate and long-term needs of these children, by providing them with shelter and protection, health care, education, life skills, recreation and counselling. Where possible, children are reunited with their families. Where it is not, girls are mainstreamed into local supportive organisations for their long term care.
Girls who come to us in need of this support are from difficult and deprived family backgrounds. They have spent time living on the streets, railway platforms, transport terminals, red light areas and in squatter or slum colonies. Some have run away. Others have become temporarily lost or separated from their families. They are in dire need of care, protection and education having often undergone traumatic experiences, neglect, abuse, violence and exploitation. |
Achievements
- 124 children have been cared for at the short stay home after being referred by CHILDLINE, a free confidential telephone service for children in distress; Of these, 66 have been successfully reunited with their families, 70 have been placed in organisations for their long term care, one child ran away, and 11 children are still being cared for by CINI.
- 20 children have been cared for at the half way house. Of these, 16 have been mainstreamed (14 into local organisations and boarding schools, and two have been reunited with their parents and go to a nearby school). 18 new girls have been admitted to the halfway house;
- 56 children living on the streets or railway platform in the nearby area have stayed at the night shelter;
- 134 children have received medical care and treatment through the sick bay facility;
- Follow up visits have been made to 124 children previously mainstreamed into boarding schools and other supportive organisations to monitor their progress.
|
Children who have suffered neglect or abuse find love and friendship at the halfway house |
|
Activities
- Providing a safe environment through temporary shelter facilities for girls in need of protection. In addition, meeting their basic needs of food, shelter and clothing
The shelter is divided into four parts, namely, the short stay home for lost or rescued girls who need temporary care until they are reunited with their families, or until a long term solution is found; the half way house, for girls with longer term care needs; the night shelter, for girls who live on the street with their parents, but need a safe place to stay at night; and the sick bay, for both boys and girls who need medical treatment and care.
- Short stay home: In the six months, from January to June 2009, this has catered for 124 girls who have been found or rescued via CHILDLINE or the police. It provides protection and basic education for children until a more permanent solution is found. A plan of action has been drawn up for each child based on their individual situation.
- Halfway house: This has cared for 20 children on a more long term basis. Girls stay for about a year, receiving intensive educational support and counselling to improve their behaviour, and are then mainstreamed into local supportive organisations who give them care and schooling in age-appropriate classes.
- Night shelter: This is open to all girls living in the area who need a safe place to sleep during the evening. Some live with their parents on the streets, or at the railway station, and some are abandoned or have run away. It supported 56 girls by providing them with a meal, somewhere to wash, and a place to learn basic education and play.
- Providing basic education to children, with the aim of mainstreaming them back into school
Through the Bridge Course, an accelerated learning methodology, girls have learnt basic skills, enabling them to identify letters, read and write. Out of 20 girls at the half way house, 16 have been successfully mainstreamed. We are really pleased with this result. 11 were placed in local NGOs funded by the government; three were placed in boarding schools; and two children are now happily living at home, after being reintegrated with their families, and go to a local school. Of the four remaining children not yet mainstreamed, two dropped out, and two are still being prepared for mainstreaming due to their late arrival in the session. Furthermore, adolescent girls were taught basic stitching and embroidery.
The two girls who dropped out (due to issues relating to parental disaffection and behavioural adjustment problems) were given a number of opportunities, but are now beyond the age of being mainstreamed into age-appropriate classes. Their behaviour too has deteriorated, having spent a considerable amount of time on the streets on their own. Bringing these children back within CINI's fold of care and protection requires the active involvement of community stakeholders, including their parents. Through family counselling, as well as individual child counselling, we hope to give these girls another chance by providing them with alternative opportunities via vocational training and skill development. Although our past experience has not been favourable, we still feel there is more scope to explore such alternatives.
- Provide counselling, including play therapy and alternative methods of communication, enabling children to discuss social, psychological and sexual problems they have faced
Children learn to monitor their own behavior and find constructive ways of dealing and coping with conflict
|
All children received regular counselling support. This is a continuous and long term process. Different therapeutic methodologies were used. The most critical cases were referred to the psychiatrist. Special counselling sessions focused on issues like mental preparation for mainstreaming, developing coping mechanisms and self esteem, anger management, relaxation techniques, conflict resolution, management of attention deficit hyperactive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, different types of abuse, feelings of depression, learning difficulties, kleptomania and impulse control.
Children completed their own behavioural chart, helping them reflect on their own behaviour. The carers and psychiatrist also completed a behavioural checklist, which helped measure their progress. With successive counselling sessions, the children themselves were able to identify and develop an insight into improving their own behaviour, as well as finding constructive ways of coping and resolving conflict. They were gradually able to develop their own decision-making ability, distinguish between right and wrong, and understand the consequences of their behaviour. |
- Training children about life skills, child rights, and child protection. In addition, educating adolescents about STI and HIV prevention
Children were taught life skills, such as basic health and hygiene, and discussed child rights, abuse, and protection issues. Discussions aimed to empower girls with the right information, so that they are able to recognise and report abuse, not just for themselves, but for other children in their communities. They were also taught about the importance of their rights, effective communication, and identifying and coping with different types of abuse. In addition, adolescent girls are educated about reproductive and sexual health issues via group meetings and one-to-one meetings with the counsellor and health workers.
- Providing regular health check ups and treatment
Doctors gave all the girls staying at the shelter a monthly health check-up. The most common ailments were dental problems, ear pain, gastritis, urinal infection, worms, constipation, and skin infections. The sick bay looks after both boys and girls because the boys shelter nearby does not have similar facilities. 134 children have been treated at the sick bay. Of these, 13 were referred to hospital for special treatment. Two of the shelter's doctors gave the children daily health checks and necessary medical treatment. The most common problems treated were seasonal and infectious diseases such as chicken pox, mumps, scabies, boils, measles, high fever, common cough and cold, as well as serious medical problems like malignant malaria.
- Enabling children to express themselves, providing an outlet, and building their confidence through recreational activities such as art, music, dance, and drama
Girls were encouraged to participate in different creative activities such as music and dance, art and crafts, karate, and drama, which enable them to express emotions. With encouragement, the girls begin to recognise their talent, which helps build their self esteem and emerge as confident individuals. Artwork often acts as an outlet for girls to express their emotions and distress, and helps them channel their energy positively.
Furthermore, girls have enjoyed day long picnics, as well as outings to different places of interest like Victoria Memorial and the planetarium. These visits were a welcomed break for the girls who crave open spaces. The tours also broaden their worldview, educating them about history in the city they live in and its natural surrounding environment. A few private schools invited the girls to take part in their festivals and fêtes, providing them a platform to showcase their developing talents in dance, karate, drama and drawing. |
Dance acts as an outlet for girls to express their emotions and distress |
During festive celebrations such as Holi, Easter, and Rath Yatra, different fun-filled activities were organised to spread joy and happiness among the children. On such special occasions, gift hampers and prizes were distributed to the girls, whose smiles and merriment could not be contained.
- Reuniting children with their families where appropriate, and supporting their education as a primary focus
68 children have been reunited with their families. 66 of these received care and support at the short stay home after being referred by CHILDLINE, and two had received longer term care and educational support at the half way house, but were able to be rehabilitated back home with their families. When reuniting children with their families, many are unable to tell us the exact address of their homes. There are a number of reasons for this, either they are too young, mentally challenged, or unable to speak the local language. However, every effort is made to trace their families.
Involving parents
Support and cooperation of the family in the process of social rehabilitation is crucial. Behavioural shaping is a time-consuming process requiring active parental involvement. Parents need to set an example for their children. Therefore, we counselled parents and taught them parenting skills enabling them to positively contribute towards their child's wellbeing. Where possible, we also encouraged parents to regularly visit their child, and to meet with staff to discuss their progress. Every effort is made to build stronger bonds between the child and her parents, and parents have begun to understand the important role that they play in their children's lives.
Parental contribution - both in cash and in kind - not only ensures parental ownership of the programme, but also inculcates a sense of responsibility for their child and reduces dependency on CINI. Parents were urged to provide basic materials, such as books, stationery, clothing, and food items, and the parents' monthly cash contribution is saved in a 'children's fund' for their child's future activities.
Mainstreaming and networking
Overall, the mainstreaming process this year has been time-consuming, but it was more than worth the effort. This year in particular we have received many critical cases, and to see the children well-settled in a new environment and filled with nervous anticipation and excitement at the beginning of a new chapter in their lives has filled us with a great sense of accomplishment.
Efforts were made to tap government sources and network with partner NGO's in planning the long-term rehabilitation of deprived children. We have been liaising with government stakeholders as their support is necessary to ensure the proper care and protection of the children. At the same time, we have also been strengthening our links with others NGO's like SOS Children's Village, Future Hope, Calcutta Muslim Orphanage, and Parivaar, as well as establishing new relations with organisations which have expressed interest in taking overall long term responsibility for some of our children.
Mainstreaming children within existing government mechanisms has presented a number of challenges. Trying to fit children into set criteria fixed by the government as well as constant coordination with government authorities requires patient endeavour. At the same time, most children in our care do not have birth certificates, making them ineligible for government support. We are encouraging parents to either file an affidavit or get an original birth certificate for their children. Various NGO's too have different requirements to fulfil and it has been difficult to work within these constraints.
Follow up work for mainstreamed children
Follow up visits were conducted for 124 children previously mainstreamed into boarding schools and other supportive organisations to monitor their progress. Staff visited ten boarding schools on a monthly basis, and 20 other supportive organisations and vocational training institutes on a bi-monthly or on a quarterly basis, depending on the need. Staff also met with parents to ensure they adhered to the rules of the schools and to discuss their child's progress. Children continue to receive counselling support to help them adjust to school life. 14 children received need-based individual counselling in 72 sessions to ensure their psychological well-being. They also took part in seven group counselling sessions held in the different boarding schools.
- From the monthly follow up visits, it is clear that the children are adjusting well in the boarding school environment. They understand that a good education is essential to widen opportunities later on in life. Their guardians also understand the importance of guiding their children along the right path.
- From January to July 2009, 84 follow-up visits were made to boarding schools, 15 visits were made to supportive organisations, and nine visits to vocational training institutes.
- A further 14 children previously reunited with their families and mainstreamed into local schools have been visited on a monthly basis. 44 visits were made to the homes of these children.
- This year, six girls took their GCSE equivalent examinations and have successfully passed. One girl is currently studying for her 1 st year BSc examinations at Calcutta University.
- 18 children have dropped out in the 2008-09 academic session due to a variety of reasons, including disinterest in studies, early marriage, behavioural adjustment problems, parental non-cooperation.
Major challenges faced and key lessons learned and how these will inform future work
- With the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act, logistical difficulties have arisen in the restoration of children. Vulnerable children found in Kolkata come from the different districts, as well as neighbouring states. Under the new rules, children must be restored to their original place of domicile or placed before the Child Welfare Committee of their respective districts or state of origin. This is proving extremely difficult, given the limited number of staff available for the huge number of children who come from places outside of Kolkata. This has slowed down the restoration process, increasing the number of pending cases and ultimately leaving children feeling frustrated and despondent.
- Many children are admitted into government schools, where the standard of education is often far from desirable, and teachers devote little time and effort to the children's educational needs. Since most are first generation learners, many fall behind in their studies. Through CINI's other work, efforts are being made to strengthen the capacities of government schools and local communities to ensure that safety nets are in place.
Thank you so much for helping to make this work possible!
See here for a printable version of this report (Word document)
 top
back to What we do
|
