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Salaam Baalak Trust closes another year - Annual Report 2004- 05

Preface

Time to reflect on the satisfactions that came from last year's work - from each child enabled to read and write, each child in good health, each child possessed of resilience and determined to cast his past away, each smile on little lips..
Time also to renew our sense of purpose for the years - our promise to live up to the expectations of children, to provide them with opportunities to develop their full potential and contribute to society in meaningful ways.

In the year gone by, we strengthened our association with more than three thousand seven hundred children. Some new and some old, but all formidable partners in the struggle against poverty, violence, disease and discrimination, all of which threaten to eclipse the lives of millions of children in India and other parts of the globe.

We feel blessed for having had the opportunity to serve a few of these children. We are satisfied to have served them with care and concern. We are jubilant that they have found themselves.

This is a time for celebration.celebration of childhood.of life.. we renew our invitation to you to keep us company in this on-going celebration...

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OVERVIEW

SBT has been helping children find childhood, especially children in distress and children in difficult circumstances. Circumstances that detach them from the joys of childhood.

For 16 years, we have been working with children who have a turbulent past. Children who are uncared for, children who do not have a support system to lean on. SBT has been able to provide a caring atmosphere to thousands of street and runaway children in Delhi. While caring for these children itself has been joyous, reuniting them with their families has been extremely satisfactory. Our little help has been of great implication for these children - helping to make their present more secure and their future more promising. Through our different services, we have been able to reach out to more than three thousand and seven hundred children during the year gone by. While some of them remain in our care, many of them moved beyond - empowered and enthusiastic in their response to a world of opportunities.

While our educational programs worked with 2429 children of various age groups, 2789 children were covered by a clutch of inputs relating to attitude, mental ability and agility, and health services. Skills training and vocational education programs tried to equip 142 children with different capacities to make them financially self-dependent and contribute to their families and society in meaningful ways.

Aasra provided hope to 336 children. Apna Ghar instilled a sense of belonging to 72 children who have forgone their parental homes. At Arushi, named for the rising sun, 82 girls are sheltered in the warmth and affection of a true home.

Childline has proved to be an effective connect with children in need. As the service has become more effective in delivering relevant services to children in distress, it has grown ever more popular. In the year gone by, Childline interacted with 1325 children who required emergency services such as rescue, first-aid, emotional support and repatriation. Besides providing assistance to such children, the program worked to strengthen coordination with allied services as also in the area of advocacy for improvement in government policy and official programs targeted at children.

Children coming to SBT have excelled at various sports and games, and have shown equally remarkable skills in a number of other extra-curricular activities. This year, 50 children participated in national level and state level sports competitions and emerged victorious in their respective events. In addition, a total of 21 excursions/exposure trips/outings tried to bring out the best in these children.

Children who have left their homes are inherently more curious and rebellious than their peers providing them with a sensitive, caring and concerned atmosphere demands deft handling and a continuous upgradation of skills. At SBT, we have constantly been on our toes to respond to the calls for skill enhancement of our staff members. Many learning opportunities were organized for staff, helping them to better focus their services. Besides, we have strived to coalesce with other stakeholders, to consistently build relationships with individuals and organizations working closely with children. Organizing and attending a range of meetings, workshops and seminars facilitated an on-going exchange of experience in serving children.

The underlying theme of all our activities has been to create an atmosphere, which respects the child and treats him like one; that recognizes the rights of the child and combats their violation. This is the pledge to which we rededicate ourselves.

OUR PROGRAMS

Education
Educating children is a primary means of empowering them. We believe that education is the gateway to realization of our children's hopes, dreams and rights. Well designed and administered, an educational program should instill into our kids a sense of pride and purpose. To achieve this, our educational interventions go beyond studies and schools, and help children to learn to unravel their lives and to explore the world by themselves.

Through the year, SBT helped 2430 children participate in educational programs, whether formal, non-formal, bridge education or the Nation Open School learning program. At the same time, we believe that the best learning we offer children comes from the natural interaction they are able to have with other children in a sensitive, caring and secure environment. Life skills education tries to bring this belief into practice. While academic learning opens up opportunities for our children to join the mainstream, life skills programs aim to equip them with the attitudes, values and skills that make for a harmonious society.

No. of children enrolled in mainstream education
		Aasra      Apna Ghar        Drop in shelter        Arushi        Hanuman Mandir        Akanksha

Health services
Health care is a major input into improving young lives. Providing such care to street and working children has always been a great challenge. Invariably the first casualty of a child's flight from home is his health; usually, children who lack the support of their families also find it difficult to live hygienically, and this has a major bearing on their health.

SBT tries to promote health care among the children it reaches out to. Besides providing regular and routine health check-ups to all children at its shelter homes and drop-in shelters, we also support the long-term treatment needs of children through institutional linkages and referrals. The health care needs of our children span the whole range from cuts and wounds to chronic tuberculosis, from emotional disorders to hepatitis, HIV and AIDS. In all, our health care registered 9699 first-aid interventions, and 2789 children had regular health check-ups. A substantial number of them (683) were referred to hospitals for more intensive check-ups and investigations; 58 needed hospitalization for longer periods ranging from 15 days to 3 months. 16 children also underwent surgery. Tuberculosis and other afflictions required long-term treatment for 39 children. Simultaneously, 32 children were identified as being at high-risk to HIV/AIDS, and were counseled to undergo VCTC. Fortunately none were tested positive. However, 12 children were detected with STDs. Our health services also address the mental health of children. The insecurity and extreme stress of their lives adversely impact the mental health of many children coming to SBT, manifesting in mild to severe schizophrenia or a wide range of emotional and behavioral disorders. Appropriate interventions were administered in all such cases.

In addition to working with children enrolled in SBT, we also offer care and health promotion programs to children in neighboring communities. This year, such health camps addressed the medical needs of almost 1000 children. 693 among them were screened for different ailments & were referred to hospital. As part of this program, 682 children received polio drops. In addition, 2 specific HIV/AIDS awareness camps were organized for individual and group awareness, reaching out to 400 street children and 2000 other individuals. A large number of cases of drug abuse and addiction were identified and registered, and SBT was able to counsel 41 children and their parents to undergo detoxification programs.

No. of children enrolled in mainstream education
		Medical Check-ups        Hospital referrals        Hospitalization         Immunization        First Aid

Skills training
The skills training program of SBT seeks to equip children with skills, which can contribute towards their financial self-dependence. Financial stability and self-dependence work wonders with the confidence and psyche of otherwise emotionally vulnerable adolescents, and also reduce the likelihood of their straying beyond social norms to earn a livelihood. SBT firmly believes that integrating education and other support services with skills are key to developing children into responsible and economically productive adults. While poverty and deprivation erodes their faith in society, education and regular employment wins them back into the fold of family and society. During 2003-04, 115 children were admitted to different vocational courses - including 51 in computer training. Rewards came soon by successful placement of 24 of them in self- and wage employment.

Sports, Recreation and other extra curricular activities
SBT believes in creating opportunities for development and learning beyond studies; recreation has a major importance in augmenting the learning of children. We believe that recreation is the best possible way to make child receptive to an interested in a broad range of inputs. Besides, it also takes care of proper physical development of children, which is a necessary pre-requisite to intellectual and emotional development. For promising children, SBT also arranges specialized sports training.

This year, 120 children of Apna Ghar, Aasra and Arushi reveled during the 10-day annual tour to Sattal (Nanital), while 50 children of GRP center and Kishalaya had a 5-day fun-filled trip to Nanital. 37 children from DIS went on a 7-day trip to Manali.

Raju Thapa did us proud by participating in the Subroto Cup (national level) football tournament. 3 children of SBT also won prizes at the National Karate Championships organized by YMCA. Our boys also won first place in the squash tournament held at Delhi Gymkhana Club.

The Bal Mela at India Gate (organized by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment) also provided an excellent opportunity for our children. Children from 35 NGOs took part in the Bal Mela, which included a wide range of activities - theater, sports and games, and a dance competition. 10 girls from Arushi performed the dance Maa tujhe salaam and won the award for the best performance of the Bal Mela.

Theatre and performing arts has been a tradition at Salaam Baalak Trust. A major highlight of the year was the annual play and dance performance organized on the occasion of SBT's 15th anniversary. While "Diploma in Corruption" staged by SBT children regaled an audience of 2500, our dance performance at the amphi-theater of India Habitat Center kept audiences spellbound for more than two hours. The children's performance was appreciated by noted performing arts personalities such as Astad Deboo and Nandita Das, besides a huge audience comprising of children from various schools, representatives of various organization, NGOs, friends and well-wishers of SBT.

Puppetry has also come out of trenches to be a mainstream performing art at SBT. In association with noted Ishara Group for puppetry, SBT children have formed a puppetry team to raise awareness on the HIV/AIDS menace. Popular with children and adults alike, through the year it held 25 shows at reputed schools like IIT Delhi, DPS, Delhi Haat, Karnal, Bombay etc. and NGOs to spread its message in innovative way.

Networking and advocacy:
SBT actively networks with other NGOs in the field, which enables us to pool resources that can be deployed to benefit street and working children in Delhi. At the same time, the collective strength built up by these NGOs is also utilized in advocacy initiatives to enhance the accountability of the state towards child rights and childcare. While believing fully in the rights- based approach to development, SBT also seek to create common opportunities and common points of action with the government and other stakeholders. To further this objective, SBT has developed a continuing relationship with, among others, the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, the Department of Education, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare & Delhi State Aids Control Society.

A brilliant collaborative initiative under the leadership of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment was taken in the form of a joint training of Deputy Superintendents and Superintendents of Juvenile Homes of Himachal Pradesh, at Shimla in January 2005. The training focused on the rights of children under the JJ Act 2001. A SBT representative also participated as one of the panelists with Mr. Kochar, Director of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment at Haryana Institute of Public Administration (Gurgaon) wherein senior officers of Haryana Government engaged in an animated discussion on street children; their needs and their rights.

SBT also participated and collaborated in the Child Rights Mela jointly organized by Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, SBT & Butterflies on 24th December 2004 at India Gate lawns.

Childline
Childline is a unique initiative, which brings Government and NGOs together in the service of children in distress. Operating round the clock, Childline provides a toll-free number, which enables children to access emergency, and/or long-term help relevant to their needs - whether rescue, rehabilitation, medical aid or support services. Childline is supported by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and operationalized by NGOs with extensive experience in, and commitment to, the field of child support.

SBT looks after the Central Zone for Delhi's Childline service. This year, 45,697 children in distress dialed the Childline emergency services in our Zone. SBT provided these children an array of services, including rescue, shelter, medical help, repatriation, emotional guidance and educational support. 801 cases required direct intervention, of which 51 children were provided medical support, 497 children were taken into shelter, and 236 children were reunited with their families after repatriation. Childline Central Zone has the distinction of dealing with the largest number of repatriation cases.

Night outreach
The darkness of a dead night enhances the vulnerability of a street child manifold. SBT night outreach aims to identify these utmost vulnerable children and bring them to safe surroundings of the SBT. The focus of the intervention is on integrating those girl children to the program who can be seen only in the dead of the night. It has also helped spread the awareness of the availability of services to the nocturnal creatures. This year a total of 241 children were accessed through the night outreach. While three of them were restored back to their families, 29 received emergency Childline services. All the children accessed also received non-formal education.

SERVICES

Contact Points
Salaam Baalak Trust aims to provide a safe, healthy and caring atmosphere to children who are on the fringes of society. They have either been renounced by their families or chasing their dreams they have landed up in alien and hostile lands. SALAAM BAALAK TRUST intervenes through a variety services at different levels to prevent children from ending up in streets, uncared for. Contact points, shelter and outreach are its link to hordes of children who are in the dire needs of the services.

Contact points identify street, runaway or abused children and bring them to the care of SALAAM BAALAK TRUST. Primarily contact points provide initial attention to children and have a peep into the lives of the children. As far as possible contact points attempt to repatriate the children back to their families. Where the repatriation is not feasible children are send for repatriation in full care shelter of SALAAM BAALAK TRUST or other agency depending upon their needs.

Contact points also function as day care shelter for working children providing them food, clothing, medial aid and place to unwind. Many of the children coming to contact points have high-risk behavior and therefore they are also exposed to initial education on health and hygiene, HIV/AIDS, STDs and drugs and substance abuse etc.

GRP
Contact Point at the GRP center is the flagship project of the SALAAM BAALAK TRUST. Started 16 yrs. ago it's a half-day care center offering NFE, awareness programs, games and sports, health & first aid facilities to the children. During 2004 - 2005 approximately 550 children availed these services at GRP. While 53 children were successfully repatriated back in to their families. 152 children received interventions through SALAAM BAALAK TRUST.

PLATFORM
Since Platform is where runaway children end up, SALAAM BAALAK TRUST has a contact point at Platform No. 7 and functions as day care center for children on Ajmeri Gate side of the New Delhi railway station. 300 children were attended to by this contact point. The Platform contact point has also a school running for street and working children where they learn much more than numbers and alphabets.

KISHLAYA
Kishalaya at Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place is also an important hub of SALAAM BAALAK TRUST's activity. Opened in 1999 it identifies vulnerable boys and girls around the area and brings them to safe surroundings and care of SALAAM BAALAK TRUST. During the year 2004 - 05, 201 children came in contact with Kishalaya. It has been focusing on children with drug abuse backgrounds and this year too, 10 had to be sent to specialized care centers for detoxifications

Prerna

A new Inspiration,started last year, Prerna is a unique intervention working with children who are living with their families but devoid of their childhood, these are children who have never seem anything else then parents and never chased any dreams but their prospective customers to sell them balloons, small toys, flowers etc. These are the children who sell these things to supplement meager income of their families. Prerna is getting hugely popular with street children -girls & boys alike. Prerna inculcates healthy habits, interest in education and social awareness in these children besides providing them food and nutrition, clothing, primary health services, life skill education and opportunity of recreation with their peers. This year Prerna inspired lives of 90 children in ways more than one.

SHELTER HOMES
SALAAM BAALAK TRUST runs four shelter homes and 24-hour full care shelter for children, one being devoted to girl children. These shelter homes provide all services that childhood or adolescence can ask for. They aim at restoring the childhood in children besides instilling in them the values of independence and decision-making, education and social values and financial self-dependence to become mature and responsible citizen of the country and caring and responsive members of the society.

AASRA
Aasra provide shelter to boys between 5 to 12 years. Established in 1992 at Paharganj, it is the earliest program of SALAAM BAALAK TRUST. This year Aasra received and provided shelter to 336 children out of those 102 were restored happily to their families. Besides receiving non-formal education few children were admitted to reputed schools like DAV, Air Force Bal Bharti, Vidhya Public etc.

APNA GHAR
Presently Apna Ghar is home for 72 boys in the age group of 10 to 18 years. Since 1999 it strives to bring lost street/ runaway children into the folds of society and prepare them for integration in to the mainstream. Extraordinary talent in performing arts has been a tradition at Apna Ghar, which was kept alive this year also. Our own Salim acted in Little Terrorist produced by Ashwin Kumar. This film was nominated for the Oscars. Children of Apna Ghar staged a spectacular show on the 15th anniversary of SALAAM BAALAK TRUST. 5 children also participated in Chunauti aired on AIR FM as panelist.

DROP IN SHELTER
Set up in 1997, Drop in Shelter caters to the specific needs of adolescent between 14 to 18 years. It respect there longing for freedom, information to experiment and eagerness to be self-dependent. While it attends to their emotional fragility by expert guidance and counseling it also focuses on vocational training in variety of skills. The career counseling needs of these adolescent were addressed to through 147 sessions of LSE. Drop in Shelter reached out to 316 children during the year through its various interventions and helped 69 children have happy reunion with their families.

ARUSHI
Arushi is specially designed to address the needs of girl child. It is an exclusive girl child shelter and responses intuitively to the needs of vulnerable girls. Since 1999, besides providing a safe and caring atmosphere, it inculcates skills, which go on to make them a confident, self-respecting and economically active being. This year Arushi provided shelter to 82 girls in different age groups. We are happy to have 31 girls restored back to their families and we are proud to have enabled two girls become completely self-dependent.

OUTREACH PROGRAM

Akanksha
Akanksha, is an outreach program targeted at the neighbouring slum communities. It is rather a preventive intervention aimed at saving the children from these communities ending up in streets. While children are helped with formal, non-formal, bridge and remedial educational assistance, the program also seeks to organize the women of community in the SHGs, encourage them to initiate saving and thrift and micro credit program. Adult education, primary health care and awareness on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other life threatening and crippling diseases also form a major component of the program. This year SBT direct interventions helped 144 children out of whom 97 were admitted in the formal schools and 39 of them linked to various modes of non-formal education. Besides, 2127 people from the community received first aid and other primary health care services. Polio drops were also administered to 562 community children.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR

	An in-house computer training Institute has been started at Drop in Shelter. Computer training will enable all inmates of SBT to become computer literate.
	AIR FM organized a program "Chunauti" at Apna Ghar. A number of organizations participated in an effort to sensitize public by providing a peep into the lives of the street children.
	Mr. Dushmanta Meher, coordinator (HIV/AIDS) with Salaam Baalak Trust participated in XV International AIDS Conference at Bangkok, Thailand from 11th to 16th July 2004. Mr. Meher presented a poster "towards Understanding the phenomenon of street children, which was received well.
	Ms. Praveen Nair and Mr. Dushmanta Meher participated in South Asian Regional Meeting on use of information & Communication Technology (ICT) to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
	Archana from Arushi participated in a seminar on child rights organized by UNICEF in Sri Lanka.
	Rohit from Apna Ghar is helping Habib, the famous hair stylist.
	Two boys from Apna Ghar have been placed with the prestigious outlet Pizza Hut.
	Salim did us proud by bagging a lead role in the little terrorist, a film made by Ashwin Kumar. The film was nominated in Oscars   for the best film in a number of categories.
	SBT organized a premier show of Vanity Fair produced by Janette Day, Donna Gigliotti, Lydia Dean Pilcher and directed by Mira Nair. The film opened at a grand ceremony where Mira Nair briefed the audience on the movie.
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