Improved Care and Protection of Girl Children

Introduction

The continued support from our donors has enabled Salaam Baalak Trust to support girls rescued from streets and difficult circumstances and provide them a holistic package of care and protection services at the Arushi Residential Centre. Well equipped with all child care facilities, the Arushi Centre provides a child-friendly environment to children. At any given time, it successfully supports around 60 children. Living in the center, the children are able to access health, education, vocational training and job placement facilities. In the year 2018, the girls residing in Arushi have shown holistic improvement in all aspects of their lives. They have excelled in academics and extra-curricular activities during the year. They exude immense confidence and are driven to craft a bright future for themselves.

Progress Update

The followings section provides an overview of girls’ performance in various activities of the center.
Education
Linking children with educational services is one of the core foci of SBT. The girls at the Arushi residential center are being supported through a pliable education programme to cater to their individual needs. The different modes of education offered at the center include formal schooling, non-formal education and open schooling. Teachers with the support of the volunteers took regular classes for children during the year. The academic performance of each child at the center is mapped by the in-house teachers. Additionally, a monthly education report is being sent to the Executive Council to closely map the progress of children.
To improve children’s general knowledge quiz and debates were organized. Career counseling workshops were conducted to streamline children’s higher education choices and guide them on the possible avenues for vocational training. Conscious effort was made to link children to formal schools and help them keep abreast with their school curriculum.

Food and Nutrition
The girls were provided three hot cooked and nutritious meals at the center. Elder girls were involved in preparation of evening nutrition which includes buying groceries (under staff assistance) along with monitoring and distribution of utensils to create a sense of responsibility and discipline. Further, sessions were organized on the importance of choosing nutritious food for school tiffin. These sessions improved girls’ understanding of food, nutrition and balanced diet and resulted in visible changes in their dietary behavior.
The center staff made sure that children sit and eat together. Having meals together helped children bond well and learn the values of sharing food with each other. It has been endearing to see the elder girls taking care of the little ones and ensuring that they eat well.

Health
Sharp focus has been laid on ensuring health of girls in the center. To ensure holistic understanding of health and its components, awareness sessions on good hygiene and sanitation practices including tooth cleaning and hand wash techniques were held. Dental check-ups and tetanus vaccination camps were
organized at the center to cover all children. Children were also immunized against other preventable childhood diseases. In addition to this, special medical attention was given to children if they fall very sick.

Skill Development and Job Placement
The girls who are above 18 and/or have passed Class 10 opt for vocational training. This is a step towards preparing them for their adult lives. Presently the girls are pursuing beauty culture training, guitar classes, piano classes, classical singing and dancing, sketching classes, photoshop editing and English-speaking classes. It is heartening to see that the girls are taking these classes very seriously and working hard to learn as much as they can and complete their respective courses successfully.

Rehabilitation
In the last year eight girls have been rehabilitated. Of these, two girls are associated with Google and working in their cafeteria, four girls are working in different salons. One girl is working in Bajaj insurance company and another girl is working in google as a chef. The center team remains in constant touch with these girls through regular follow-ups. The follow up exercise has been instrumental in assuring girls that SBT team will be there for them in times of need.

Extra-Curricular Activities and Celebrations
The children engaged in following extracurricular activities in the last year.
• Monthly birthday celebration of the girls
• Movie outings
• Girls visited Vishwa Yuvak Kendra and attended seminars
• A quiz was organized at center
• Girl child day was celebrated
• 10 girls visited Aravalli Biodiversity Park
• One child won the best artist award in her school
• Girls went for different activities during the summer camp
• Girls celebrated all various festivals with lot of zeal and spirit
• Children were presented Christmas gifts by a corporate donor
• Girls went to Panchmarhi, Madhya Pradesh for a trip. During the trip they enjoyed natural trails and learnt about flora and Fauna
• Girls also went to an Old Age home and learnt about the needs of elderly

A snapshot of Quantitative Achievements of Arushi Residential Centre from January – December- 2018

Food and Nutrition
80
Education
80
Health Check ups
200 times
Vocational Training and Skill Development
10 girls
Job Placement
10 girls

Challenges
While working with the girls rescued from streets and managing the center, the team faces the following challenges.
• Detailed discussions on provisions of various juvenile legislations has been done with stakeholders.
• In the context of education, many girls find it difficult to cope with the curriculum of age appropriate classes. Towards this, the team is planning to provide bridge course and supportive classes.
• Many girls during the time of their rehabilitation feel very worried and tensed. It becomes daunting for the center team to calm and console them. However, with the help of career counsellor and psychologist, the center team resolves girls’ concerns and worries and prepares them for rehabilitation.

Future Plans
The center team has envisioned following plans to improve the functioning of the center.
• Providing quality education to all children
• Sending maximum number of children to formal schools
• Developing care plan for all children with focus on those above 15 years
• Developing ownership of the center among children through strengthening children’s committee
• Making adequate rehabilitation arrangement of girls who are above 18 years
• Ensuring follow ups of restored and rehabilitated girls
• Optimal networking with corporate and individual donors to enable cost cutting
• Putting in concerted efforts to sensitize CWC to needs of street children