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CINI's girls' shelter "Sukhi Griha" was opened in February 2009 and provides a much needed shelter for vulnerable girls in Siliguri which was previously unavailable. It makes a meaningful change in the lives of girls who have been sleeping or working on the streets. Girls who come to us in need of this support are from difficult and deprived family backgrounds and have spent time 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 undergone traumatic experiences, neglect, abuse, violence and exploitation.
The shelter caters for their short term needs, by providing a clean safe place to stay, counselling, health care, education, life skills, and recreation. Whenever possible, children are reunited with their families. When it is not, girls are mainstreamed into local supportive organisations for their long term care, or are helped to access vocational training, so they have the skills they need to live independently in later life. |
Background
Siliguri is located in North Eastern India, neighbouring Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Malnutrition is extensive among women and children, particularly the poorest migrants. Large numbers of trucks pass through the town, and with the growth of tourism (people pass through on their way to Darjeeling) and the seasonal migration of labour, there has been high levels of trafficking in children and women, who are subsequently at risk of being sexually exploited.
Many children who have been physically or mentally abused, or have simply run away from home looking for a better life, end up on the streets or at the train station. Large numbers of runaway children congregate around the train and bus stations, surviving by begging, pick pocketing and hawking.
Aim: To mainstream and socially reintegrate vulnerable and marginalised children living in extremely poor conditions in Siliguri, by positively shaping their behaviour and empowering them through education and training in life skills. It is hoped that this training combined with nutritious food and access to healthcare and emotional support will enable children to realise their full potential.
Achievements
- 32 girls aged five to 18 years have received care and support, and somewhere safe to stay;
- 18 of these girls have been reunited with their families;
- One child is receiving long-term educational support at a local supportive organisation sponsored by a local resident for their long term care and education;
- 12 girls are still currently receiving support and care at the shelter with plans in place to either reunite them with their families or arrange long term educational support;
- One child with mental health problems is receiving psychiatric treatment in a specialist care centre.
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With your support, vulnerable girls in Siliguri are being given a helping hand |
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Key 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
In the last six months, we have received 32 girls aged five to 18 years in need of temporary shelter. Out of the 32 children, 15 had runaway, six had been lost, four had been trafficked, two had been abandoned, and five had special situations (abuse, child marriage or family problems).
The shelter met the girls' basic needs, by providing nutritious meals, clothing and health care. A balanced diet gave children the right combination of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, iron etc. needed for their healthy development. Each child was given two changes of clothes and undergarments which were donated by the local community and school children.
- Providing counselling, including play therapy and alternative methods of communication, enabling children to discuss social, psychological and sexual problems they have faced
Girls are encouraged to channel their emotions in a positive way
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Each child received one-to-one counselling on a weekly basis, and special care was taken to address the mental health of children who had experienced abuse. Counselling sessions identified four children who had been sexually abused by family members at home, or by employers in the workplace. One extreme case of mental depression and psychosis, which could not be handled by the House Mother, was referred for specialist care at a psychiatric centre. This child had been trafficked and subjected to repeated sexual abuse. Since there are no residential government hospitals in Siliguri for psychiatric patients, this child was referred to a private clinic.
Group counselling sessions offered children a platform to talk openly about their experiences. Drawing activities helped the House Mother to understand their mental state, and work towards a means of communicating appropriately with each individual child. They have also helped the girls channel their energy in a positive way. Children were welcome to borrow books from the shelter's small library, and enjoy indoor and outdoor games, music, and dance during the afternoons. |
- Providing basic education to children, with the aim of mainstreaming them back into school
The daily routine involved education, prevocational training and recreational activities. The House Mother is a trained teacher, with experience of 'Bridge Course' training, which has an accelerated learning methodology. Out of the 32 children, 19 had never been to school. Therefore, through special educational support, children have learnt basic skills, enabling them to identify letters, read and write.
Our long term objective is for these children to go to a local school once reunited with their families. During this process of restoration, parents are counselled about the importance of education, children's rights and protection. This is followed up by monthly or quarterly home visits by our outreach workers to monitor the child's progress. At times we also receive children who are orphans, or who are unable to return home because it is unsafe; for these children, our links with local NGOs help ensure they receive long-term care and educational support.
Craft skills training included tailoring, weaving and embroidery (usually making beaded bags). The girls have learnt basic sowing techniques and often experiment with spare clothes. We will include other skill-based training in the months to come for older adolescent girls, in order to gradually build their skills-base, widening their employment opportunities in later life. |
Education enhances lives. Basic education for girls is essential for widening employment opportunities in later life. It ends generational cycles of poverty and disease and provides a foundation for sustainable development. |
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- Training children about life skills, child rights, and child protection. In addition, educating adolescents about STI and HIV prevention
Small discussion groups were held on fortnightly basis to discuss health issues, child rights, abuse, and life skills education. These discussions enabled children to understand child protection issues by empowering them with the right information, so that they are able to recognise and report abuse, not just against themselves, but also against other children in their communities. They were also taught about the importance of their rights, their responsibilities at entitled citizens, knowing oneself, effective communication skills, and identifying and coping with different types of abuse.
- Enabling children to express themselves, providing an outlet, and building their confidence through recreational activities such as art, music, dance, and drama
| We encouraged the girls to participate in different creative activities that interested them. Most enjoyed dance and music which enabled them to express emotions. With encouragement, the children began to recognise their talents, which has helped build their self esteem and they are emerging as confident individuals. Children also enjoyed drawing and painting. Artwork often acts as an outlet for them to express their emotions and distress. In addition, children celebrated special occasions like teacher's day, children's day, Independence Day, Eid, and Rakhi with their teachers and other children that CINI supports. This gave the girls a sense of belonging and an opportunity to re-integrate into wider society. |
The girls celebrate Children's Day with their House Mother |
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- Providing regular health check ups and treatment
Every child at the shelter was taken to a local government hospital for a medical check up. Each child was given a medical examination within the first day of her arrival. Medicines were purchased as prescribed by the doctor. In addition to this basic medical examination, we also provided medical care at the shelter; a doctor from one of our other projects visited the shelter when required.
- Reuniting children with their families where appropriate, and supporting their education as a primary focus
We believe that whenever possible, the best place for a child is with her family
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Within three months of their arrival 18 children were reunited with their families. Some of these children had dropped out of school, and through non-formal education at the shelter, were able to catch up with their studies and refresh their learning. Most children expressed a desire to go back school once they returned home.
Parents were informed about free primary education in government schools and other material and financial support available to them. Only seven have gone back to school; these children now go to nearby government schools or Integrated Child Development Services centres - the government's integrated programme for early childhood education, health and nutrition for children under six - in their respective areas. The other 11 are between 13-18 years old and have never been to school, so were unable to join their peers in school, but have learnt to read and write. Regular follow up has been done by our outreach worker to monitor their development. This will continue over the coming months. |
Outreach services
CINI's outreach reception point is located near Tenzin Norgay bus stand and Siliguri Railway Junction. It monitors the movement of children, and also serves as a drop in centre. This has been providing services to about 20 children each day, who are primarily working at the platform or on the street hawking, begging, cleaning, or collecting and sorting rubbish. Here children have received shelter during the day, washing facilities, and recreational activities such as indoor games, music, drama and drawing classes. Children attending the drop in centre have also been given training on child rights and protection issues. Children who showed an interest in learning were taught basic education.
Major challenges faced and key lessons learned and how these will inform future work
- Irregular meetings of the Child Welfare Committee - the government's authority for the care and protection of children - impede regular interaction with members on children's issues and their rehabilitation, and as a result cases are pending for months. Irregular meetings of the Child Welfare Committee - the government's authority for the care and protection of children - impede regular interaction with members on children's issues and their rehabilitation, and as a result cases are pending for months.
- Lack of government funded care homes in the region makes it more difficult to rehabilitate children on a long term basis, especially adolescent girls. Therefore, we will forge stronger links with local NGOs and supportive organisations for long term educational or vocational rehabilitation of girls.
- Lack of funding has imposed limitations to the requirements of our shelter. Though our staff are trained in psychosocial care and basic counselling, it is difficult to deal with complex issues and so if the funding were available, we would employ a professional counsellor with a lot of experience dealing with traumatised children.
- A lack of mental health services in government hospitals has meant that we have had to pay for a child to receive private treatment which was not budgeted for in our medical costs. We will advocate for the government to provide such services at any given platform or through our meetings with government officials.
- There is a low level of understanding about the issues affecting these children amongst stakeholders, particularly school teachers, government officials and police personnel. Therefore, we aim to work on advocacy initiatives to inform local NGOs and government officials about child protection in the Darjeeling district. We will also establish a stronger network with government officials.
- Building accountability of stakeholders on children's issues through corporate social responsibility has also been a major challenge. We will continue to work towards community ownership to help initiate further community donations, particularly in the form of educational materials and clothing.
Sabitri's story
My name is Sabitri Bhutia, I am 15 years old. I was employed as a domestic helper in Gangtok from a very young age; I have never been to school. I can neither recall my childhood days nor my parent's whereabouts. I don't know where I belong.
My employer was a Tibetan nun. She had many of her relative's sons and daughters living with her. They were going to school in Gangtok. My work included household chores like cooking, washing, cleaning, and caring for all the children. My day began at 4 am and ended at 11 pm. I worked like this for years without a word of appreciation from anyone. Love, care and respect never existed in my life, but eventually I found it in one of our new neighbours.
The neighbour was a young Bihari mason, called Kanaiya*, who had come to Siliguri to work on contractual basis on one of the construction sites nearby. Gradually our friendship grew into love. I often dreamt of having a family with him, which gave me a sense of belonging. Regular visits to see him made my face known among his fellow workers, who often teased me. One day, while Kanaiya was away, one of his friends told me that he was already married with children. This news broke my heart, but I still wanted to hear the truth from Kanaiya.
My employer also found out about my affair with Kanaiya and ordered me to end the relationship with him. Not knowing what to do next, I ran away from home and headed for Siliguri in search of Kanaiya. In a big city with not very friendly people around, I ended up at the police station with nowhere to go. I was kept locked up in a police cell for 4 days and finally taken to CINI's shelter.
Once I arrived at CINI, I was immediately taken to the hospital for a medical check up and was given a lot of emotional and mental support by the aunties. There were other girls there too, most of whom were younger than me. They became a part of me - a family for me. Each week, I would talk to the aunty. These sessions allowed me to express my fears, doubts and emotions. They also helped me understand myself better and accept facts that I had never wanted to believe.
Through non-formal education at the shelter, I slowly learnt to identify letters and write as well. Within three months, I was able to identify alphabets and numbers in English, Hindi and Nepali. I also learnt to write my name. This was my biggest achievement. I also learnt to paint and draw, and I still love painting. Looking at my passion towards books, I was asked if I would be interested to study in a school. Aunty explained to me about an educational board which has a special five year course that educates and prepares individuals like me to sit for exams on a yearly basis to pass grade ten. Currently, I am placed in a convent in Darjeeling and am studying on this course. I feel proud of myself, and am confident enough to face the challenges that fall my way. I aspire to become a teacher and help other girls like me. I would like to express my profound gratitude towards CINI for helping me build my identity, and for giving me an opportunity to live my life. |
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