Part IV

The Girls Project

Did you know that when young girls and women arrive in Mumbai's train stations in search of a better life, employment or a family member they have no clue where to find, within fifteen minutes -and that's an average figure-they are approached by a "friendly" stranger promising help, only to be whisked away to a brothel?

Shocked? Why does this happen?

These adolescent girls, who are easily identified for their obvious disorientation and fear, quickly succumb to offers of assistance. Saathi discovered this when they found that these girls never make it to night shelters for children living on the streets, as newly arrived street boys manage to do, and instead simply vanish.

Under its Girls Project, Saathi has rescued many young girls and women in the age group of 14 to 24. The project also incorporates intensive networking, a day centre offering general amenities, night shelter, medical care, vocational training, counseling and sponsorship and escort for those who desire to return home.

Youth Initiative

Youth living on the streets are often branded as difficult, quick to get into arguments or pick a fight. Actually, perhaps Indian cinema has contributed to this perception, for think of the number of Indian heroes, youth on the streets, ever-ready to quarrel against injustice. In truth, these youth lead a harsh life, and naturally tend to erupt whenever an inner sensitive chord is touched.

With the right kind of opportunities for growth and development, however, these youth eagerly work towards realizing their aspirations. Saathi helps youth living on the streets by organizing awareness programs, family life education, non-formal education and educational support to those studying through the National Institute of Open Schooling, group homes, guidance and passage for those who seek a re-unification with their family, a means to channel savings, vocational guidance, recreation events and character-building camps outside the city. Saathi also offers medical facilities, nutrition, counseling and a day care centre for support. Its outreach program constantly brings it in close contact with children and youth living and working on the streets.

Project Aasmaan

Project Aasman reaches out to families living in a pavement community (shacks and chawls), particularly women and girls, who lead wretched lives in filthy conditions and are extremely vulnerable to all kinds of abuse - familial, economic and sexual.

In partnership with the Committed Communities Development Trust (CCDT), Saathi offers general and vocational education, awareness, supports recreation, health and encourages the formation of groups to foster concern for each others' well-being and safety.

Saathi also helps build links with institutions, government departments and police etc, to help the pavement community get on with their lives.

Kria - An Income Generation Program

Kria complements both the Youth Initiative project as well as the Girls Project. The program focuses on income-generating activities - such as the making of bags from recycled newspaper, and glass mosaic products such as coasters, tray sets and wall hangings for sale and thus allows the participants to earn a stipend to cover their living expenses in Saathi's group homes or be saved, as well as learn a vocational skill.

More importantly, since Kria activities are scheduled and take place in a workshop, participants learn life skills such as commitment, confidence, planning, punctuality, team work and quality control.

Some candidates are inspired to study further and enroll in the National Open School. Even then, their time spent in vocational training provides them an income to sustain their learning endeavors. Others choose to take up the activity as a profession. These participants are involved in training new entrants and the administration of the project and thus encouraged to further their skills.

Working in Gujarat

Unlike the global and national response to the earthquake in Gujarat, relief work after the 2002 Gujarat riots was limited and scattered, perhaps due to funding constraints, lack of will, and politics.

After conducting various discussions with project participants and within the team and addressing their own questions and concerns that can arise from such an event, the organization chose to explore working in the refugee communities. Altaf Shaikh and Raja (a drama therapist) joined Bindu from the Bangalore-based Center for Law to visit the Qureshi Hala Refugee Camp. The group worked on bringing children out of their shells by organizing games and the like.

Eventually, Saathi partnered with local NGO Sahyog working with refugees in the Vatwa camp. The partnership has successfully established education centers and works with children to help them overcome traumas suffered through talking and drama therapy, and generally live as their age warrants.

Home Placement Project

The Home Placement Project assists girls and boys of all ages who have left home for various reasons, to return. Intensive efforts are made to prepare the child or adolescent, escort him or her home and intervene to work with the family to address the issues responsible for the child leaving. The aim of the project is to offer the runaway or abandoned adolescent a viable means to return to a supportive home environment, and forestall the possibility that they get so acclimatized to life on the streets that a more stable environment becomes both unwelcome and unattainable.

Focus on Quality Institutional Care in Maharashtra

Saathi's collective expertise has led to it being included as a principal organization in coalition efforts (with CRY and the State Department of Women and Child Development) to establish minimum standards of institutional child care in Maharashtra or the Quality Institutional Care and Alternatives for Children (QIC&AC) campaign.

This campaign aims to reach out to nearly one lakh children in 750-odd institutions (government, semi-government, private and voluntary) in the state, catering to children from birth to 18 years of age. The movement endorses the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989, and advocates the belief that every child has a right to a family or a family-like nurturing environment. In accordance with the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2000, it reinforces the role of the state as the guardian of any child in its custody, that is, in the absence of family or when families are in distress, and postulates that civil society is an equal partner in this process.

Practically, the campaign involves the collating of a database of child care institutions, their inmates and standards, with the aim of reviewing and improving the quality of care. It also seeks to sensitize the public to the plight of these children, involve the children in the process and facilitate the de-institutionalization of these centers. No wonder then that Saathi has been recognized as a "fit institution" to act as guardian to children in conflict with the law.

A Willingness to Explore Innovations

Saathi maintains the central tenet that there is always more to learn and so remains open to various explorations and innovations. This can be seen in how projects have evolved, but even more so in its endeavors to explore ways of self sufficiency that also impact the community. In the past, the organization has explored the introduction of a micro-credit/ microfinance-based program to teach basic financial tools, is working with the distribution of a docu-drama feature film, and has consulted for a socially responsible corporation.

Inspired?

If you're inspired to experience Saathi's work first-hand, you could volunteer as a Saathi intern. For more details on this or for information on ways to assist or contribute to a Saathi program, please email info@saathi.org or visit their website at www.saathi.org