Photographs of shelters for homeless can be seen at:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.325315274163369.96611.108162199212012&type=1

Keep checking for constant updates :)

"He is named Laat Sahib!"

Note: The names of all the children in this post have been changed in order to protect their identity.


Akram is very excited today. He can't stop beaming. When I ask him the reason for his happiness, he says that he has grown full one inch in the past week. "Now I am 4 feet tall!" he exclaims.
I am in Umeed Aman Ghar (Aman Biradari's) shelter for boys near Mehrauli in New Delhi. Built out of red bricks and stone, the cohesiveness of this building is not the cement that binds the bricks, but its the love and compassion between the different young boys that transforms this 'building' to a 'home'.  
As I get ready to click some pictures, everyone clamours to get in the front unless I frown and threaten not to click any, after which everyone stands erect as if having been doused with ice cold water. These children do not mind talking to a stranger, as the children from many prosperous families would, because they have been taught that the only stranger in their life is hatred and ill will.
Its another normal day out here as the children get ready to take their morning classes in English and Mathematics. But Saket, Sachin and Rahul just can't stop quibbling. Sachin is upset because he thinks that Saket and Rahul have schemed against him. When I ask whats the matter, he explains: " I was going to be the hero of our movie. But now Saket and Rahul are saying that I will not play the hero. Ye toh cheating hai!" On being asked about the details of the movie, he informs me (and adds that this information is being provided to me exclusively) that they all are planning to make a movie. "Saket will be the director and Rahul will be the producer." I ask Saket and Rahul about the same and they retort " Sachin will not be in the movie. Yesterday, all that he was doing was to shout 'Packup!' Aise movie thodi na banti hai."
Quarrels aside, they unanimously agree that they will name their movie as "MAAR DHAAD". Another round of negotiations and suggestions start for deciding the tagline.
But Rajeev seems to be quite aloof from all these plans. "I want to become a big man someday", he says in crisp and precise English, as one is almost taken aback by the intensity of determination oozing out of his eyes. "I will learn how to properly read and write and become successful in my life." I remark that his boots seem to be the cleanest of all and he smiles and says "I polished them last night!"
Nicknames abound as the children pull each others leg. Rajiv tells me that the big burly boy standing near the tree is named 'Kalicharan' and the small black one tying his laces is named 'African Babua'. Apparently 'African Babua' overhears his name and informs me that Rajiv is nick named 'Laat Sahib'.
It is bstrange that for all the misery that has been associated with their past, these children only have optimism and high hopes for their future.
"When I first came here, I did not like it. I had no manners to talk to anyone or even my elders and indulged in fights often." says 15 year old Abdul. " I used to shout a lot and throw a lot of tantrums. But gradually I begun to like the place. These people taught me how to read and write and made me clever. Above all, they taught me manners and etiquette." Naveen, who is standing nearby, retorts, "but he still doesn't talk to me properly", as we all burst out laughing.
As I prepare to leave the home, some children tug at my coat and ask, when are they getting their pictures? Ummm.....I'll try to take out a print, I assure them.

"One last question. What have you named me?"
"Bangali Baabu!"
"Bengali Baabu? But I am from Madhya Pradesh..."
"Then Diggi Raja!"

Suits me fine. :)       

Delhi Winter Campaign for the Homeless

Every winter, homeless children, women and men battle for their lives in the bitter night cold, and many die lonely deaths each year.

For many years, caring young staff and volunteers of Aman Biradari and Koshish have attempted to reach out support for dignified survival to homeless people, for whom Delhi’s fierce winter threatens those with no roof over their heads every year. Each year, we learn from the last, and try to improve our out-reach interventions for egalitarian caring.

Planned interventions this winter

1. Aman Homeless Winter Shelters:

Day-Night Shelters, Community Kitchens and Health Centers

1. We observed in past years that a big limitation of the program to distribute blankets is that homeless people have no place where they can store this the next morning, and the blanket at best serves them a single night. We experimented last winter with 2 fixed distribution points, where staff and volunteers will distribute blankets and mats free every night, and collect these again the next morning, and store it at a room nearby. We propose to augment our services by establishing day-night shelters itself in homeless concentration locations of Hazrat Nizamuddin and Jama Masjid and Yamuna Pushta.

2. Homeless people die in winter not just because they are homeless, but also often because they are poorly nourished. Research has established that people exposed to extreme cold need more calories simply to maintain their body temperature. Therefore we resolved this year to serve a hot cooked meal in the night at each of these fixed sites. Here a hot nutritious meal would go a long way in ensuring body warmth, and this coupled with blankets could effectively combat the winter deaths. Hence we propose that at the fixed distribution sites, we will also distribute a free hot cooked meal each night to the homeless from the blanket distribution site itself.

3. At these locations we will also store medicines and provide basic first aid if so required.

In summary, for the high-density homeless concentration areas of Hazrat Nizamuddin, Jama Masjid and Yamuna Pushta, we will establish 3 Aman Winter Homeless Shelters, in which staff and volunteers will provide the following services:

Ø Dignified place to sleep with blankets and mattresses provided every night

Ø Hot cooked nutritious meals

Ø Primary Health and Referral Services

2. Mobile Blanket Distribution and Health Rescue Services:

There are some scattered single homeless persons, who are the most vulnerable (including those who are mentally ill). They cannot be reached by the fixed blanket distribution points. For them, we will propose 2 mobile units. In these equipped vehicles, teams of 3 or 4 volunteers plus one staff member will travel around the city through each night, and distribute sheet and warm cover to all in need. Dr Amod Kumar and others have found that the best alternative is bubble plastic sheets, both for base and cover. These are very warm because they keep out the damp and cold, and are cheap and light. It is especially valuable as homeless people can carry these around easily during the daytime. The mobile units will also provide basic first aid if so required and also carry out rescue operations which includes taking the needy to hospitals and homeless shelters as the situation demands.

Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/#!/pages/Aman-Biradari/108162199212012

Winter Campaign Link: http://www.facebook.com/events/188113774615396/