Field Work 2

(For Homeless)

Not only caring the street children but also providing their parents and other homeless people health care and opportunities are our works.   

Part 1) Night Shelters and Blanket Distribution

A Permanent Night Shelter run bu other NGOs and governments in Delhi

Temporary Nght Shelters where we provide blankets in Old Delhi

Night Shelters : With the supports of MNGO, butterfly NGO and governments, homeless people are provided night shelters in winter and Aman Sathis have been monitoring some of them providing blankets there. There are about 150 night shelters in Delhi including temporary and permanent ones. 64 of them are permanent and rest of them are temporarily built to protect the homeless from icy wind in winter time. (However, 30 of them are not actively used because of the suburb locations.) 
There are some issues of security using the shelters so in order to provide them secure shelters, shelters are managed by guards and regularly visited by Aman Sathis.  

Blanket Distribution : (1. Distribution Station) People who choose to sleep on the streets are distributed blankets to cover themselves and to keep warmth in cold nights. Homeless people mostly have no place to keep their personal belongings so we provide them some stations where they can keep their blankets collecting them in the morning and make sure they don’t sell the blankets for drugs. It is also an effective way to avoid the blanket hygiene problem such as infection. We manage the blankets putting name tags of users in night shelters and stations so that homeless can use their own blankets rather than sharing blankets with others.

Also,

(2. Mobile Distribution) Aman Sathis are distributing blankets moving around the city in winter nights. Many homeless who are addicted to drugs tend to sell the blankets which they received from NGO to buy drugs so we are targeting homeless people who already felt sleep without any cloth or blankets to cover.  ‘Koshish’ is supporting us to mobile distribution and collaboration. 

The blankets we are distributing were given by individual donators and funders.  So far, approximately 1400 of blankets have been distributed.

Part 2) Medical Support for Vulnerable Homeless People 

The Aman Health Clinic (Nizzamudin Delhi/ 9 - 5pm) 

:  Our outreach as well as the effectiveness has improved manifold since January 2009 , after the Aman Health Clinic become operational in . The homeless and precariously housed people face enormous challenges to access health care services because they are so invisible, illegalised and powerless. It is difficult for them to access beds and OPD in government hospitals and most NGO’s also fail to reach out to this population.

 The Clinic is open 6 days a week , 4 pm to 9 pm in the evening . Since its inception, it has catered to almost 22,000 patients with miscellaneous ailments. It has a full time medical practitioner and three health workers. This is supplemented by voluntary services from other doctors. It runs in the evenings considering that homeless people move from one place to the other in the day time and return to the streets at night. The basic objective of the clinic is to provide free health check-ups, medicines and referrals to appropriate government and private hospitals. This street health initiative also helps establish a health baseline of children when they come into the Homes. The homeless are made to feel comfortable at the Health Clinic and their concerns are tended to with dignity.

Part 3) Research and Suggesting to governments

Everyday, Aman Sathis visit the places where the homeless people are resident and listen their stories.

Through visiting, talking to them and persuading them Aman Sathis build strong bonds and faiths with the homeless people. Closely stepping into their lives, we figure out their problems and try to remove their inconveniencies. We check their lives and suggest to receive supports from governments and in the meanwhile we also find more effective ways to implement governments schemes for the homeless people like Ration Cards, ID Cards, and etc.

* Intervention Zone

      North Delhi

Jama Masjid – Meena Bazaar, Jama Masjid, Chandini Chowk, Old Delhi Station

Kashmere Gate – ISBT, Hanuman Mandir, Yamuna Pushta

Cannought Place – Hanuman Mandir, Central Park, Pallika Bazaar, BaraKhamba Road, Banglasahib Gurudwara

New Delhi Station –PaharGanj, New Delhi Station

      South Delhi

Sarojini Nagar  - Market, Cement Godaam, surrounding redlights

Nizammuddin – Dargah, Flyover, Redlights, Shivji Park

Modi Mill - Okha flyover, New Friends Colony Market, Okhla Sabzi Mandi

Kalkaji - Kalkji Mandir, Kalkaji Flyover, Nehru Place Market, Nehru Place Flyover

PVR – PVR Saket, Saidlajam Slum Area, IIT Gate flyover

* Challenges

Since our inception we have been facing many challenging problems which we should struggle with. Our campaign plans have been developed to solve these problems.

• Use of Night Shelters and Blankets(http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/delhi-s-homeless-prefer-streets-to-night-shelters-78839)
• Drugs Addicted Parents Rehabilitation
• Educating the homeless people to Work instead of Begging
• Vocational Trainings for the parents who are staying on the streets and Organizing jobs for them 

 

Education

*Education Purpose and Goals :

  The term “Education” for the campaign is not an aid to get into school or a particular vocation of interest.

 Instead, it is an all encompassing term which prepares the learner for life, to live it with humanism, responsibility, tolerance and happiness. It facilitates development of core values and provides mastery of reading, writing, and communication; knowledge and application of the core concepts of curricular subjects, skills of thinking analytically and creatively and ability to integrate experience and knowledge to form reasoned judgments.

*Education Teams :

Education Part is held by Education resource group, home teachers. They are our biggest assets.

Teachers are proactive, warm, caring, adaptable and conscientious and share a deep understanding of the needs of the children and flexibility and adaptability in areas such as curriculum, working conditions, working environment etc.

In addition, they are trained by professionals from various fields like education, medical Bodh Shiksha Samiti to understand the concept of a curriculum framework and systematic planning to achieve learning objectives at each level, methodologies for assessment and documentation of learning and active processing of information.

 Also, most of our volunteers and Professional Supporters are contributing to teach children with their variety of skills and abilities.

* Education Process

Children in homes follow this process!

  

   I.    Bridge Course

 

Children coming to our homes vary in their educational levels and do not commensurate with the grade they are mainstreamed. Many have no educational background at all.  Given this, the bridge curriculum aims to teach children the relevant concepts in a short period of time in the most exciting, innovative and child-friendly way possible. Emphasis was on activity-based learning, which comprises the core of bridge education.  The teachers used numerous TLMs (teaching/learning material) like the khel board, fake currency, jaali button, goti stand, colorful worksheets, and more.

The children under bridge course are regularly assessed on completion of each chapter and evaluation is conducted at the end of each unit. The regular assessments help teachers to track progress made by each child and also to bring improvements in her teaching strategies. 

   II.    Mainstream Education

We have worked with several schools which provide children opportunities to study and support to make better education curriculums of homes. They also offer some Bodh’s intensive engagement on the issues of quality education for deprived regions, pedagogy, teachers’ capacity building, both in Rural and Urban Areas, has led to its emergence as a Resource Agency. It provides models for the practice of progressive pedagogy at primary, upper primary and secondary levels, for an integrated context-based educational experience, including subjects like carpentry, computers, music, art, drama, dancing, health education and other vocational education. 

Bodh offered resource person to train the teachers, monitor their performance, develop evaluations programs for all education. They also designed a bridge course to cater to heterogeneous group of children, with varied competencies, diverse skills and divergent expectations (primarily focus on three subjects – Mathematics, Language and EVS). It will comprise of supporting material, activities and the teacher manual.

They are also assisting in designing Early Childhood Education and Adult Education Curriculam and in creating a team of resource teachers who are able to effectively transact the curriculum.

 * Partnership Schools :  Bodh Shiksha Samiti , St. Mary’s School, Katha, NIOS, Sarvodya Vidhyalayain Mori Gate

 III.    Vocational Training

Older children, beyond the age of 14 years and especially beyond 18 years, are mostly left to their own devices, lonely and without hope, unable to access any but the most low end occupations, unread, unsupported. Once they settle in the homes, they are encouraged to access mainstream education without the requirement to work.

While most of them are keen to pursue education, some children have taken vocational trainings. For girls, some learnt sewing skills, advance certificate course in Computer application, Beauty Culture course. Some boys who have opted for vocational training also took it for further computer skills, driving skills, and etc.

*Education Curriculums in Homes

(Academic Courses)

English Class – These classes are generating by teachers and volunteers who were trained with our training models. Small group of children are taking these classes with various methods and activities. Student ratio should not be more than 1:25 and there are full time English language teachers in each home to maintain and monitor programs on the ground and teacher.

 Computer Skills Class – A full time teacher and volunteers are in charge of this class and in-house curriculum modules called e-Masti IT Accreditation have been implementing. It is based on the Microsoft Unlimited Potential syllabus, assessment system, and course outline, but executes a less text heavy, more interactive module, and also incorporates certain audiovisual material from British Council, EZ Vidya, and Azim Premji Foundation. The curriculum is being developed, in a direct action research mode. The Rapid typing identified and selected previously has been introduced and transacted along with the other piloted in-house material. 

After suffering from the limited computer system in our homes and technological difficulties caused by old facilities, we had supports of additional systems from our donators. Therefore, most of the children are taking computer skills classes.

Math and Science Class : Some volunteers who are good at math and science are teaching children. Under their help, children are doing their assignments from schools and class as well.   

(Non-academic Courses)

Life Skills Trainings -  According to our experience with the most vulnerable children on the street, they cannot be made to engage formally in learning process, until the academic curricula is clubbed with a strong life skill curriculum. They need to be taught to become children again, be trustful, loving and responsible, without losing their self-esteem, self-reliance and spirit. Realizing this need, we have tried to develop this course  to teach them responsible relationships; dealing with drugs, sexuality and crime; ethical education; anger management; understanding self and the world around; looking after one’s own body and emotional well-being; commitment to social justice, equality and caring, including topics such as gender justice, secularism, pluralism, caste and class equity.

The life skills curriculum is being visualized as a comprehensive non class room set of modules comprising of panel discussions, Inviting experts, debates, role plays, video/slide shows, film screenings, sports, songs, dance, exhibitions, community service, group activities, quizzes, story writing and many more covering various components of life skills. The life skills sessions would be integrated within the routine of the children at the homes to heal their traumas and further to build their emotional and physical health.

The programs are continuously revising and implementing in homes under the care of resource teachers and many volunteers are assisting those programs with their skills and talents.

• Art & Crafts Class (Drawing, Painting) : Free hand sketching , image drawing , creative drawing, Hand painting, finger painting and image formation , thread painting, leaf painting, Kite making, rakhi making, classroom decoration, clay activity, paper mache work, collage making, etc.  (Drawing is encouraged both during classes as a teaching methodology and outside the class to encourage the creativity of the children.)

• Dancing Class : Professional dance team have been coming to girls’ homes to teach them dancing and in boys’ home free dancing style is encouraged.  One of our children is a trained dancer and he has taken it upon himself to train the rest. Recently our children performed at a corporate gathering as well.

• Sports & Martial Arts : There are indoor sports like carom, judo and outdoor sports like  badminton, cricket, football, karade , taekwondo etc. few hours of sports everyday has been encouraged and facilitated by home staff and volunteers.

•  PT : Yoga and meditation is a part of daily morning routine of children. Some volunteers with specialties in PT have helped for these classes.

·   Music Workshop : Music Basti held weekly music workshops in Kilkari and khushi providing them enjoyment, as well as intensive programs to promote skills based musical learning through instruments or song- writing and recording projects. The support of the musical community has increased through inclusion of a larger number of musical professionals, performers and artistes being involved in planning and implementing programs; donation of instruments; and key collaborations with organizations like Hard Rock Cafe, Radio Mirchi and the Gibson Foundation, among others.

They also arrange for special workshops at the homes wherein they invite renowned artist to perform for the children, like Shabnam Virmani (a documentary film maker and artist, Director of the Kabir Project), music band like Swarathma from Bangalore, and many others.

Beside these music workshops, Bal Geet and Chetna Geet are a consortium of songs which are taught to children during classes besides music workshops. Volunteers have trained some children in playing other musical instruments. Wings of Support, a Norway based organization supported the purchase of various instruments for the children.

* More pictures with Music Basti, Click here. 'Music Basti with Dil Se Campaign'

·         Theatre Class : Every weekends, 3 homes’ children have theatre playing classes so that they participate in a play developing their cooperation, senses of mutual understandings in others shoes and also learning expressions.

·         Films : Usually on Sundays, children enjoy watching movies in homes and during our special programs and outing schedules they are exposed to well made animations and movies as well.

In addition, with the special supports by professionals and organizations children sometimes have chances to learn and study about films. PVR Nest Cineart 2010 designed by Cineart was a year long program around the theme of “Nature” which children participated in. They worked with several other elite schools and organizations round the year. In the first phase our children were taken for a movie screening of “Bird Idol” at the Saket PVR cinemas. The second phase included dance and music program and finally ten children from our homes were selected for making a film on ‘Nature’. The film was showed in PVR at the Grand finale of the PVR Nest’s year long program.

Our in-house materials have also been developed with supports of our partnership organizations like Karadi Tales, Nalandaway.

• Art Workshop : 'Protect Wildlife Heritage - an appeal by children', focusing on protecting wild life was the purpose of the art workshop conducted in collaboration with “Tell us Art” on 23^rd January 10 at Khushi. For artists, this was a forum to exhibit art and paint together with the children. There were about 50 artists from Sweden & other parts of  Asia .This was a fun filled, creative and meaningful session that strengthened the  friendship, understanding and respect between the diverse cultures and raised concerns for the dwindling wildlife population and biodiversity through Artistic Expression.

• Dosti Mela : It is a friendship Programme with St. Mary’s school. A first in its series, on 21^st August, the children were invited to St Mary’s to watch the screening of a play by the nukkad group. The children & teachers interacted ardently with the children of Khushi and took them for a tour of their school. The children played and mingled with each other freely as they shared the refreshments.  The reciprocal event was organized at Khushi on 18^th September 2009.  Twenty children from the St. Mary’s school were invited to khushi home for an interactive day with children of Khushi. The children had interactions with students from the school and enjoyed a session on the life of Gandhi & his teachings, interactive discussions and other interesting activities.

 Special Activity :

·   Educational Trip - Children in homes are often taken for an exposure visit to many places for learning various things and expanding their experience. The GPO, Indian Zoo, Historical Places like Qutub Minar, Teen Murti Bhavan etc. During those educational trips, children are explained about the places, what they see, and how people work there and try several things.

·    Picnic  - Once in a while, children are going out for a picnic and theater enjoying outdoor activities and other cultural experience.

·   Festival and Special Day Celebration – We organize to have celebrations for the big festivals of India with our children. Sometimes children make some hand crafts gifts and share them together. They love to sing and dance spending amusing time with Aman Sathis. We celebrate Annual Home Celebration, Raksha bandhan, Independence day, Diwali, Janamashtimi, Christmas and etc.

·   Monthly Birthday Celebration - Children in homes celebrate their birthday normally with volunteers and home staffs. Sometimes, our children were invited by some groups who have been with our kids for other activities and we also invite them to share the special moment and to understand each other more. Children enjoy their time reciting poems, singing, dancing and discussing their school life. Cakes and snacks were served on each party.

      Like festivals and birthdays, shops keepers from the local market, hospital staff or policemen have come forward to contribute to these events.

·    Annual Sports Meet – It is one of the biggest and exciting events, which all children, volunteers and Aman Sathis enjoy together. Little children from each home perform cute drill dancing and other children participate in several games like frog race, lemon race, sack race, potato race, three-legged race, relay, sprint, long jump, etc. Our guests and supporters are also invited and have enjoyable time together. 

(View more at http://dilsecampaign.blogspot.com/2011/01/ahramannual-sports-day.html )

·    Annual Day – This was organized in 2010 as the first formal event of the dil se campaign since its inception.  All the well wishers, supporters, donors, friends came to celebrate. There were presentation and discussion about the whole campaign programs with the  Advisory Committee  and Executive Committee members in the morning and astonishing&touching performances by children in the evening.

·         Camps –

Ø  Summer Camps were held to offer children exciting engagement during hot summer vacation last year. Children spent amusing time for 3 nights and 4 days in Hamdard Public school. The children from the 3 homes were extremely excited to see the sprawling campus, the big dormitories of the girls’ hostel, the ground and all the other arrangements for them. Introductory session to get them accustomed with the norms and rules was followed by a music n magic shows. There were demonstration session on First Aid conducted by facilitators from St. John’s Ambulance, action packed session around “Nature” where in children were taken for a nature walk, discussed various elements and finally made a small project, art session to learn thread and blow painting and made colorful book marks with drawing cards and ice cream sticks, dance sessions, outdoor activities like foot balls, basket balls, skipping ropes etc in the campus, discussion among children, movie watching, and street play around health and hygiene. 

Ø  “Garmi shake I & II ” were mosaic of educational, entertaining and engaging activities. Being in a residential, camp, and in the company of children of the other gender, it was a truly unusual, uplifting and enjoyable experience for the children.

Garmi Shake I was for the very first time that the youngest of the three homes were brought together for an event. From 18th to 22nd May, Santa Maria, the nursery school campus of St Mary’s School provided the safe, yet spunky space for the tiny tots aged 3 to 6 yrs of Khushi, Kilkari & Uma Pandey(one of the former boys’ homes before they united). Despite the scorching heat, the exhilarating swing rides, bubbling water jets that came on every evening and the quacking geese, ducks and turkeys left the children exuberant.  resource persons conducted activities like, sculpting (by using the remains of water melon & musk melon), drawing, hand painting theatre, music, and  puppet shows.

Garmi Shake II was hosted by the National Nehru Memorial Library from 28th to 31st of May 2009. In a beautiful campus with green landscape, its vast open expanse, the wilderness and the occasional sighting of the magnificent peacock and other rare and exotic birds, the children spent the 4 days doing fascinating activities like puppet making, visit to the museum, and nature walk and theatre.  They were astonished by astronomy at the planetarium and were even more stunned by the experience of sky gazing through a telescope.  They were also treated to the choicest children films, in the luxury of a large and plush auditorium.

Ø  Out Station Trip was designed for the oldest children of Khushi and Kilkari. 28 girls set off on a 7days(21^st-28^th June 2009) to the scenic Nainital, a popular tourist spot in Uttaranchal located at a height of 6360ft above sea level enjoying challenging activities like river crossing, rappelling, trekking, bouldering and rock climbing, all under the supervision of trained personnel. An hour of meditation every evening ensured that the children relax and feel rejuvenated for the next day. On some evenings an extra treat of films like vertical limits & Panchatantra, the traditional Indian series of value based educative stories. One day was dedicated to visiting the main town. The children enjoyed boating and bought souvenirs for friends back home.

Also, we are planning to have ‘winter camps’  J

*For Children in Non Residential Care

For the children who choose to stay on the streets, we organize educational and health camps and keep visiting them and encouraging in vicinity to attend classes in homes.

View more details, click ‘Field Work 1 : For Children’ 

* Our Plan

·   Increasing more integration with community and local schools  like Dosti program and more

·   Recruiting more teachers and volunteers for home classes

·   Increasing the percentage of children in residential care with disability implementing specific interventions for them

·   Setting up a library in both the homes with ambience that inspires all learners to willingly engage in intellectual pursuits. It should include –  Books in Hindi and in English, Charts, models, maps and atlases, T.V. and DVD and a collection of CD/DVD learning packages (National Geographic, Discovery, Door Darshan etc), Indoor games (Carom, Scrabble, Ludo etc)