Protect 500 Street & Working Children in India

Every year, due to domestic violence, family breakdown, and the need to supplement the family income, thousands of children migrate to the streets of Palani and Dindigul, often from rural areas such as Vilpatti, a remote village in the Palani Hills. These children forgo their education for work in the manufacturing and tourist industries, while others resort to street hawking, rag picking or begging, especially in and around Dindigul railway station and Palani’s ancient temples. They often end up sleeping in bus shelters or on the streets where they face harassment, violence and exploitation. The majority of these children will join gangs, especially those without a family, turning to alcohol, drug abuse and crime to survive.

This project provides children in Vilpatti with the care and support they so badly need, preventing them from moving to the big cities, while supporting those children already living and working on the streets of Palani and Dindigul. Since the GlobalGiving campaign in 2009, the project has continued to support over 1,000 vulnerable children living in Dindigul District.

As part of this important project, staff at Arunodhaya, International Childcare Trust’s partner in Dindigul District, are about to be trained in psychosocial care and arts therapy. This will enable them to better address the ongoing emotional and psychological needs of street and working children in their care.

Arunodhaya places great emphasis on the healing potential of arts therapy, a less intimidating and traumatic form of counselling, which can provide a channel for children to identify and address hidden issues. For children who have suffered physical, emotional and sexual abuse, the creative arts can be an extremely effective way of helping them deal with these issues by encouraging them to express themselves. As well as having fun, something these children do not often get the chance to do, it can help them cope better with stress, deal with traumatic experiences such as abuse, violence and bereavement, develop their self-confidence and self-esteem, and build stronger relationships with family members.

Thank you so much for contributing to this fantastic campaign! Please contact us if you would like any more information on the project and its progress, and any further donations would, of course, be gratefully received!