ISR_Kalidas Jadhav_Hamara Foundation

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ISR (Individual Social Responsibility) Project
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KALIDAS JADHAV
DPGD/ OC2013/0185
STREET CHILDRENS IN MUMBAI
HAMARA FOUNDATION – NGO for Street Childrens
We School – Welingkar Education, February 2015

INDEX
Sr.
No
Subject Page No.
1 BIBLIOGRAPHY 3 - 3
2 STREET CHILDREN IN MUMBAI – SOCIAL CAUSE 4 - 8
A Introduction:
B Definition ofStreet Children
C Street Children in India:
D Specific characteristics and lifestyle ofStreet Children:
3 THE PROBLEMS OF STREET CHILDREN: 9 – 13
A Abuse
B Child Labour
C Gender Discrimination
D Health
E Homelessness
F Poverty
4 HAMARA FOUNDATION – ANNGO FOR STREET CHILDREN 13 – 25
A About Hamara Foundation:
B Vision:
C Mission:
D Specific Objectives:
E Target Group:
F Contribution required for Hamara Foundation:
G Success Stories:
H Our Activities:
a STREET CHILDREN PROJECT (HAMARA CLUB)
b ADOLESCENT GIRL'S CENTRE
c CHILDREN DEVELOPMENT KHAZANA(CDK)PROJECT
d HAMARA CHOTAGRAM
e CHILDLINE PROJECT
5 NGOs working for street children in Mumbai: 26 – 46
A Smile Foundation
B Vivekananda Youth Forum
C SUPPORT (Society Undertaking Poor People’s Onus for Rehabilitation)
D Sneha
E Wockhard’t Foundation

6 THE ROLE OF NGOs IN PROMOTING WELFARE ACTIVITIES 47 – 50
7 GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT IN DEVELOPMENT OF STREET CHILDREN 51 – 52
A Background:
8 CHALLENGES THE NGOs FACE: 52 – 58
A Why they fail?
B Weak foundation
C Vital link
D Mind space ofa potential donor:
E The mindset ofpeople
F Mis-communication & Misunderstanding:
G Money :
H Common problems faced by the NGOs are:
I Three top challenges that grassroots NGOs face:
9 CONCLUSIONS/ RECOMMENDATIONS: 58 -60
Bibliography:
1. Maheshwari, Mridul; Singh, Manjari.
Child Labor in India: From Welfarist to Economic Perspective
South Asian Journal of Management, Vol. 16, No. 4, October-December 2009
2. http://www.hamarafoundation.com
3. www.youtube.com
4. http://www.supportstreetchildren.org
5. www.smile foundation india@org
6. www.vyfngo.com
7. http://www.snehamumbai.org
8. www.wockhardtfoundation.org
9. en.wikipedia.org
10. articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/Amitabh Baxi and Diganta Saikia, TNN Oct 11, 2003,
12.06am IST
11. www.hopefoundation.org.in

STREET CHILDREN IN MUMBAI – SOCIAL CAUSE
Introduction:
The term street children refer to children for whom the street more than their family has become
their real home. It includes children who might not necessarily be homeless or without families,
but who live in situations where there is no protection, supervision, or direction from responsible
adults.
Street children are increasingly seen as part of the urban landscape, the world over. There are
social and institutional factors that serve to sustain their presence. They are a result of increasing
poverty and unemployment, increased migration of families, broken families, neglect, abuse,
riots and violence, armed conflicts, natural and man-made disasters, decreasing resources in rural
areas, and the attraction of cities.

Definition of Street Children:
The term ‘Street Children’ denotes different categories of children who are living and/or working
on the streets permanently or temporarily, with or without families. Universal categories of street
children (developed by UNICEF and the World Health Organization) are:
a) Children on the Street: This category comprises children working on the street but
maintaining more or less regular ties with their families and community.
b) Children of the Street: Children in this category maintain only tenuous relations with their
families, visiting them only occasionally. They see the street as their home where they seek
shelter, food and companionship.
c) Abandoned Children: Children in this category are also children of the street but are
differentiated from category ‘b’, by the fact that they are cut off from their biological families
and are completely on their own.
Street Children in India:
India is the home of largest population of street children. It is estimated that there are 250,000
such street children in Mumbai alone. These children perform such menial unskilled jobs as rag
picking, scavenging garbage, polishing shoes, selling drugs, or begging. This type of exploitative
life produces such negative effects as stunted growth, increased susceptibility to disease, and
psychological scarring. This work also deprives the children of an education that will allow them
the mental growth necessary to escape this degradation.

Activists working with street children in India have generally adopted all the three categories for
identifying this vulnerable group. The reasons for being a street child are varied and sometimes a
mix of the ‘push and pull’ factors. Some of the prominent factors are:
• Physical, sexual or emotional abuse, caused by parents or guardians usually leads to the child
running away from home and thereby being forced into child labour.
• The consequences of the actions of parents such as neglect, addictions, migration or directly
sending their children out on the streets, forces them to fend for themselves.
• The feeling of inadequacy at school and discouragement from family adults and peers leaves
the children isolated, angry and confused.
• The children are forced unto the streets to supplement the inadequate income of the household,
often following the laying off from work of the primary bread
For this children Street has become home or resource of livelihood. These Children are
vulnerable because of family intense poverty, for the hope that child will send money to the
home.
Children who run away from home or children institutions frequently end up on the street. Since
they rarely return home due to dysfunctional families, physical, mental and sexual abuse.
Homelessness and street life have extremely detrimental effects on children. Their unstable
lifestyle, lack of medical care and inadequate living conditions increase young people
susceptibility to chronic illness such as respiratory or ear infections, gastric and intestinal
disorders and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV.

Children pending for them self must find waste to eat, some scavenge of find exploitative
physical work.
Many homeless children are entails by adult and older youth into selling drogue, stealing and
prostitution. Drogue used by children on the street is common as they look for means to numb
the pain and deals with the hardship associated with street life. Most of street children use
psychoactive substances including medicines, alcohol, cigarettes, heroin, cannabis and readily
available industrial substances. The mental, social and emotional growth of children are affected
by their pneumatic lifestyles and the way in which they are chastise by authorities who
constantly expel them from their temporary homes like doorways, park benches & railway
platforms.
Street children lack security, protection and hope. And continuously to face deep rooted negative
stigma about homelessness and more than anything they lack – LOVE.
Specific characteristics and lifestyle of Street Children:
Among the broad category of marginalized children, a group of street children stands out due to
their specific characteristics and lifestyle
 Street children are an extremely vulnerable group because of the way they are forced to live
homeless on the streets.
 They are roofless, rootless and alienated from the society.
 They are roofless, rootless and alienated from the society.

 They grow up on the margins of the society without love, care, protection and supervision of
adults.
 Moreover, they are deprived of their basic rights of survival, protection, development and
participation.
 They have to fend for themselves for their own survival and sometimes for the survival of their
family as well.
 Civic amenities like latrines and bathing facilities are beyond their reach.
 Malnutrition and hunger is widespread among them.
 Due to constant exposure to the unhealthy conditions of living on the streets, children suffer from
a range of ailments.
 Owing to the lack of guardian control over their lives children indulge in various addictions like
smoking, sniffing glue, and Xerox solutions leaving them debilitated.
 Street children become the victims of the sub-culture of the street: drug abuse, gambling,
drinking, vagrancy, thieving and prostitution. They are high-risk group for HIV/AIDS.
 Street children are subjected to harassment and eviction by the municipal authorities because of
their unauthorized occupation of city roads and vacant places.
 They are victims of physical and sexual abuse.
Lack of an access to basic services of shelter, health care, education and training, lack or
alternative livelihood options, lack of societal acceptance and legal status (for want of ration
cards) are the major issues of street children. The problem of street children is multifaceted and
needs to be understood in proper perspective. Professional social work intervention strategies are
necessary to address their needs and problems.

THE PROBLEMS OF STREET CHILDREN:
1. Abuse
2. Child Labour
3. Gender Discrimination
4. Health
5. Homelessness
6. Poverty
Abuse:
Many of the street children who have run away from home have done so because they were
beaten or sexually abused. Tragically, their homelessness can lead to further abuse through
exploitative child labour and prostitution.
Not only does abuse rob runaway children of their material security, but it also leaves them
emotionally scarred. Many of the abused children are traumatised and some refuse to speak for
months. To aggravate matters, children often feel guilty and blame themselves for their
mistreatment. Such damage can take years to recover from in even the most loving of
environments; on the streets it may never heal.
Child Labour:
Most Indian street children work. In Mumbai, a common job is rag-picking, in which boys and
girls as young as 6 years old sift through garbage in order to collect recyclable material. The
children usually rise before dawn and carry their heavy load in a large bag over their shoulder.
Rag-pickers can be seen alongside pigs and dogs searching through trash heaps on their hands
and knees.

Other common jobs are the collecting of firewood, tending to animals, street vending, dyeing,
begging, prostitution and domestic labour.
Children that work are not only subject to the strains and hazards of their labour, but are also
denied the education or training that could enable them to escape the poverty trap.
Gender Discrimination:
In Indian Society females are often discriminated against. Their health, education, prosperity and
freedom are all impacted. The problem is worse in conservative in India.
For example, because girls carry the liability of dowry and leave the family home after marriage,
parents may prefer to have male offspring. Many babies are aborted, abandoned or deliberately
neglected and underfed simply because they are girls. This can be seen in the fact that female
mortality rates amongst 0-4 year olds in India are 107% of male mortality rates, whereas the
comparable number in Western Europe is 74%. The rate is 119% in Rajasthan. Further evidence
of the imbalance is that the female/male ratio within the general population of India is
unnaturally low at 927/1000, and even lower in Rajasthan at 909/1000.
Gender discrimination is particularly evident in education where boys are more likely to attend
school and to do so for more years. The traditional place of the woman is in the home and so
many parents and children consider education for girls to be a waste of time, especially when the
child can instead be working or performing domestic chores. Only 38% of Indian women are
literate and, at 64%, the gender parity between literacy rates amongst Indian women and men is
one of the most unequal in the world.

Child Marriage is another way in which girls are disadvantaged. In addition to limiting
educational possibilities and stunting personal development, early marriage carries health risks.
A girl under 15 is five times more likely to die during pregnancy than a women in her twenties;
her child is also more likely to die.
Health:
Poor health is a chronic problem for street children. Half of all children in India are
malnourished, but for street children the proportion is much higher. These children are not only
underweight, but their growth has often been stunted; for example, it is very common to mistake
a 12 year old for an 8 year old.
Street children live and work amidst trash, animals and open sewers. Not only are they exposed
and susceptible to disease, they are also unlikely to be vaccinated or receive medical treatment.
Only two in three Indian children have been vaccinated against TB, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio
and Measles; only one in ten against Hepatitis B. Most street children have not been vaccinated
at all. They usually cannot afford, and do not trust, doctors or medicines. If they receive any
treatment at all it will often be harmful, as with kids whose parents place scalding metal on their
bellies as a remedy for persistent stomach pain.
Child labourers suffer from exhaustion, injury, exposure to dangerous chemicals, plus muscle
and bone afflictions.

There is much ignorance about reproductive health and many girls suffer needlessly. A girl made
infertile by an easily-preventable condition may become unmarryable and so doomed to a life of
even greater insecurity and material hardship.
The HIV/AIDS rate amongst Indian adults is 0.7% and so has not yet reached the epidemic rates
experienced in Southern Africa. However, this still represents 5 million people, or about 1 in 7 in
of those in the world who have the disease. The rate amongst children is lower, but because
street children are far more sexually active than their Indian peers and because many are even
prostitutes they are thus hugely at risk of contracting the disease. AIDS awareness, testing and
treatment exist, but less so for street children than other demographic groups.
Homelessness:
Street children in India may be homeless because their family is homeless through poverty or
migration, or because they have been abandoned, orphaned or have run away. It is not unusual to
see whole families living on the sidewalks of Jaipur, or rows of individual children sleeping
around the railway station.
Homeless children have the odds stacked against them. They are exposed to the elements, have
an uncertain supply of food, are likely miss out on education and medical treatment, and are at
high risk of suffering addiction, abuse and illness. A single child alone on the streets is especially
vulnerable.
Poverty:
Poverty is the prime cause of the street children crisis. Children from well-off families do not
need to work, or beg. They live in houses, eat well, go to school, and are likely to be healthy and
emotionally secure.

Poverty dumps a crowd of problems onto a child. Not only do these problems cause suffering,
but they also conspire to keep the child poor throughout his/her life. In order to survive, a poor
child in India will probably be forced to sacrifice education and training; without skills the child
will, as an adult, remain at the bottom of the economic heap.
HAMARA FOUNDATION – AN NGO FOR STREET CHILDREN
About Hamara Foundation:
Hamara Foundation was initially established as “Hamara Club” meaning “Our Club” as the field
action project of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) by Prof. Asha Rane, in July 1989 in
response to the emerging problem concerning the street children in Mumbai. Since 2002, it has
been functioning independently as an NGO.

Vision:
To ensure that no child should live on the street and that every child has an inherent right to
dignity and respect. The organization believes in working towards creating the environment in
which every child enjoys rights to survival, development, protection, and participation and a
happy childhood.
Mission:
To work towards facilitating all round growth, development and empowerment of the street
children and to catalyze an overall improvement in the quality of lives of street children. It also
aims at engaging in advocacy and taking up issue of street children and their life situation with a
larger purpose of creating public awareness and towards generating sensitivity amongst the
masses regarding the growing phenomenon of street children.
Specific Objectives:
 Reach out to children in selected areas of Mumbai city.
 Provide need-based services for their growth and development.
 Create public awareness about the problems and needs of street children.
 Network with governmental and non-governmental agencies dealing with street children, such
as the police, municipal corporations, and Judiciary and welfare agencies working with
vulnerable children.
The major thrust of the organization is to provide professional social work interventions to this
specific target group in child rights perspective.
Target Group:
Children below the age of 18 years who live/work on the streets, children of pavement dwellers
and homeless children.
Contribution required for Hamara Foundation:
 Volunteers willing to spare time for conducting craft class for children, coaching for school-
going children, teaching English and Yoga.
 Volunteers required for fund raising.

 Donations in cash and kind
 Sponsors for education of street children
 Professionals for counseling, documentation and legal aid
 Two new computers with printers
 Four water filters
 Three Godrej cupboards
 Lockers for keeping belongings of children(size – 3 x 12) 40= lockers in two centers
 Two filling cabinets
 Two office tables
 200 steel plates for serving food to children
 200 steel glasses
 4 sets of Cricket Kit
 4 sets Chess Board
 12 Plastic carpets(Size – 10”x15”) for the use of children during NFE/Yoga classes
 Education Materials for 240 children
 2 Laptops
 2 Showcases for displaying articles prepared by children
 1 Mega Phone
 2 Cabinets for T.V sets
 Digital Camera
Success Stories:
1. Sajju Yakub
Master Sajju Yakub (15yrs) is studying in Std. 10th in Hindi medium at Gilder Lane Municipal
School, Mumbai Central. He lost his parents at a tender age of six. In spite of his nothingness,
hardship at the railway station and impoverished living conditions, Sajju maintains a very good
school performance. During last annual examination, he obtained 68% marks and secured first
rank in the class. Educational materials were provided to him. He also receives sponsorship from
National Sponsorship Council.

2. Master Sheriful Shaikh
(18yrs) came from Kolkata in search of work last year. Initially he worked as a coolie and earned
Rs40/- per day. After working hours he used to participate actively in NFE classes at Hamara
Foundation. While working he decided to join skills-training programme with regular counseling
by the Field worker. Efforts were made to give him “House Keeping” training in collaboration
with Human Resources Department of Taj Land Ends Hotel. At present he is working at Taj
Hotel as a “House Keeper” and earns about 4000/- p.m. with other benefits.
Our Activities:
1. STREET CHILDREN PROJECT (HAMARA CLUB)
2. ADOLESCENT GIRL’S CENTRE
3. CHILDREN DEVELOPMENT KHAZANA (CDK) PROJECT
4. HAMARA CHOTA GRAM
5. CHILDLINE PROJECT
1 .Street Children Project:
FORMAL EDUCATION:
In 2013-2014 Hamara Foundation helped total 327 school going children. Out of that 46.4%
children In primary education, 44.64 % children in secondary education and in Higher education
9 % children attended 22 Municipal schools and 14 private schools and colleges. Total 26
children attended night schools for continuation of their education.
SKILLS TRAINING
Children in the age group of 16 to 18 are provided with vocational training through agencies
like Kotak Mahindra Education Foundation, CASP, Don Bosco-Training center, Yuva
Parivartan . Depending on interest and aptitude of children, training is provided in treads like
Driving, Computer basics, Hospitality, Retailing, Marketing, Motor Mechanic,, Kitchen
Preparation, Beautician and Fashion designing etc.

Ranjit Bipin Shah- Age -19 years.
He is settling himself and helping sister. Ranjit ran away rom home because of the severe
beating by his father on smalll mistake from Delhi. He was staying on Delhi station and after few
months he came to Mumbai. Ranjith is connected to the organiation from his arrival to Mumbai
central from last ten years. He was staying on Mumbai Central station from last ten years and
was surviving on loading work. He just continued living and there was no proper environment
for thinking for his own development. The social worker had a constant dialog with him about
his development . Ranjit was under strong influence of his friends because he was a master mind
for his group and all the members in his friend circle used to follow him with great respect. He
himself was very happy with this kind of status. Ranjit decided to change ehavior and agreed to
join Kitchen Preparation course. He faced lot of problems after joining the course. Staying the
railway station was not comfortable for him except the support of friends. Ranjit realized that
overcoming hardship with a hope of bright future was more advantageous . He finished his
course tenure in December 2012. He was absorbed in Indigo International Hotel as a Kitchen
Assistant with salary of 12,000 per month. In the initial phase he was supported by Divya
Metals for his expenses for training. Ranjit got to know that his younger sister (Beena) was
studying in VIIIth class and forced to get married . He went to Delhi, fight with his father and
brought his sister her to Mumbai who is kept in Asha Sadan for her further education. Ranjit
took a room in Garib Nagar at Sat Rasta. He decided to bring his sister home during summer
vacation.
Ranjit is now attending National Open School (NOS) and will give exam for 9th class this year.
He expressed his gratitude to Hamara Foundation in the New Year Celebration Program in
2014 for providing him new opportunity to live a better life .
Ranjit expressing gratitude to Hamara Foundation.

Harshada Pewekar ( Dolly):
Dolly is a bright young girl of Elphinstone road center. She passed out 10th exam from
Maharashtra Board in flying colors with 77% marks in 2013. Significantly she scored 105 out of
100 in Mathematics. She stays with her mother and two brothers in tarpaulin covered hut ne
Elphinstone Road Railway station, west side. Her father was working as a house keeping staff in
Dadar Big Bazar who died 4 years back in heart attack . Since then she is supporting her mother
to run the household. Her mother runs tiny Pan Bidi shop in the zopadpatti near railway line.
She studied in St. Thomas High School Vasai and attended study class at Elphinestone road
center. She has two brothers. One of the brothers is in 9th class and other one is drop out .
2. Adolescent Girl’s Centre :(Adolescent Girls Development Center).
(Out of 6 contact centers the center at K.K.Marg School is running exclusively for development)
of adolescent girls since 1998. Currently, 80 girls in the age group of 10 to 18 years are provided
with various services, such as health care, nutrition, formal and non-formal education, skills
training, coaching classes’ recreation, family life education and counseling. These girls belong to
Pardeshi community who are migrated from Uttar Pradesh. The adolescent girls are mostly
illiterates and school dropouts.
Most of the girls are engaged in the family occupation of cane work and earn Rs.10/- to Rs.20/-
per day. Few girls work as domestic servants. The proximity of their place of stay to the red light
area of Foras road puts them in precious situation. Some girls are lured to get jobs of sex workers
during the daytime. The girls have no opportunity for free movements on streets due to
harassment by people who visit the red light area. The girls are stigmatized and it is difficult for
them to get opportunities for employment and suitable marriage proposals. Considering the
plight of these girls appropriate interventions for their growth and development are of great
significance. The Center plays an important role in bringing about development changes in their
life
3. Children Development Khazana (CDK) Project:
The Children’s Development Khazana (CDK) or Bal Vikas Khazana as it is known in India is a
logical evolution of Butterflies’ saving and credit union scheme and works on banking and

cooperative principles. Hamara Foundation is a partner and implementing the same in Mumbai,
Maharashtra.
Children between the age group of 09 to 18 years and the only stake holders of CDK. Any rural
poor, urban or street and working child can save money with the Khazana, which is their own
and is run by the children like them under the guidance of adult facilitators. Implemented as part
of life skill education, CDK enables its members to earn an incentive (interest) on their deposits
and adolescents and its adolescent members to access advances (loan) for initiating small
economic enterprises or cooperatives.
Children’s participation is the basic premise on which CDK is designed, implemented and
promoted, with children coming together as collectives to take action for their self-
empowerment. Children are the ones who are the managers and promoters of CDKs. The CDK
members nominate their own Child volunteer Managers (CVM) and members for the advance
(loan) committee, who are then provided training to handle their responsibilities in dealing with
members and working in a team, and are put to function under the guidance of the Adult
facilitators. They run the Khazana set timings, handle children’s money, maintain cash books,
ledgers, passbooks and disburse and monitor advances.
We have introduced the said programme in three places in South Mumbai: Mumbai Central, Haji
Ali, and Dadar. By introducing CDK in Mumbai Central centre children from slum and street
could continue education and coaching support up to class X. Earlier since their parents are
illiterate the children would dropout as they would not able to keep private tuitions. A number of
488 children are directly benefited from these programs.
Children living in the railway platform and surrounded areas who are addicted to drugs other
chewing addiction are in saving habits. The homeless children living near Haji Ali who work as
book sellers and shop keepers are now saving the money and are not using the money in
gambling.
Children are now involved in Children’s Development Khazana (CDK) and Child Health
Cooperative accordingly. The number stands to 488 members who are only street children. It is
gradually enhanced and children are enthusiastically participated in different cdk related
activities such as how to maintain CDK books of accounts, the role of Child Volunteer Manager,
ACVM and Child Health Educator (CHE) and they are also learning the CDK syllabus slowly

but steadily. Increased participatory attitudes have been seen among the children. Despite their
educational pressure, they want to know other carriculam activities of bookkeeping through the
programme of CDK. In the specific year, CDK members not only deposited money in his/her
account but also withdrew in need accordingly. At one of the meeting children have pointed to
us that they made their parents aware how much they earn in a family living on the street and
how the money is not spent in a healthy way. The children have questioned the family to take a
rented house instead of living on the street with what they are earning together in a family. Few
families now have taken a rented house in a slum and moved from the street.
Children’s Development Khazana (CDK) made the children aware of how to document properly.
This included handling of pass books, application forms etc. CDK members from Haji Ali and
Mumbai Central branch admitted that they used to deposit their hard earn money in the hand of
shop keeper but they end up in losing money as they do not have any proper documents to
challenge the shopkeeper. The children used to get less money than the amount they had
deposited to the shopkeeper. Some shopkeeper used to take a deposit charge of Rs. 25 from the
children.
CDK is nurturing their saving habit steadily and in the coming future the children will have bank
account of their own in a recognized bank.
Introducing Child Health Cooperative (CHC), is a dimension of health care and addressed the
need t take care of their health through various information, knowledge and practice which was
the sole objective. The children were informed that saving of money can also help them when
they need money for treatment. We have introduced in four CDK branches and selected eight
Child Health Educators (CHEs) and we have imparted special training for how to use First Aid
Box, how to keep clean and hygienic, how to clean their surrounding and their role and
responsibilities. Two members Master Ikram Yasin Kukva and Ms. Latifa Siddique Shaikh from
Mumbai Central and Haji Ali are actively executing their duties.
4. Hamara Chota Gram:
Hamara Chota Gram, a project of Hamara Foundation works for the overall development of the
community situated at Foras Road. Since its inception in 2011, many activities are carried out

under the categories; health, education, Community education, Income Generation Programs,
skill training and fun.
Major activities carried out during July 2013 to March 2014 are;
1. Education
Education Sponsorship of English Medium Children
Fifty children receive English medium sponsorship and 12 children receive vernacular medium
sponsorship.
Twelve children (6 boys and 6 girls) are attending professional dance class.
Ten girls are getting the training on karate.
2. Health
Complete health checks up of Fifty Eight children of the age group 0 to 5 years were done.
Accordingly the treatment is given to improve their health status.
Supplementary nutrition is started for 6 children who are malnourished and hemoglobin content
is very less, one PNC, one ANC and one lactating mother whose health status is very poor.
Skill Training: Fabric Painting, Tailoring, Mehendi designing and Artificial Jewelry Making
courses are conducted in the centre.
3. Community Education
Fifty two women opened their saving bank accounts in Bank. Their payments for the income
generation programs go directly in to their accounts. .
Home management course was organized for the girls from the community in collaboration with
Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust from 7th November to 25thNovember 2013. Major contents of the
course were personality development, general health care, care of aged, children and sick, family
life and inter personal relationship, housekeeping, food nutrition and cooking, first aid, and
handling house hold appliances.
Workshop on how to conduct literacy classes were conducted for 8 girls in collaboration with
Pratham with a dream that they will teach the illiterates and the entire community will be literate.

4. Entertainment
Thirty Five women were taken to Shangrilla Water Park and Resort on 16th November 2013 on
the occasion of Diwali. They enjoyed very much in group.
Seventy Five children enjoyed Baldin altogether on 14th November, 2013.
New Year celebration is organized at organizational level. Fifty children participated in the
celebration and enjoyed.
Dance party is organized at centre level for women and children. All together enjoyed maximum.
They danced, sang together and danced together.
All the women together celebrated maker sankranti.
5. IGP
Seventy two women are involved in the igp activities. They make lampshades, mudka vase,
Paper vase and Fruit bowl. Women earn on an average Rs.4000/- pm by being involved in igp
activities.
6. Exposure Visits
Twelve women were taken to the bank to get acquainted with the bank procedure. Six women
who were highly addicted to tobacco chewing were taken to Tata Memorial Hospital on
10th February 2014. One woman completely left the habit of tobacco chewing. Others who used
to eat 10 to 15 packets reduced to 3- 4 packets per day.
5. CHILDLINE Project
Hamara Foundation is running CHILDLINE-1098 collaborative project supported by the
Ministry of Women & Child Development, Govt. of India, since 2006. CHILDLINE unit is
situated at The New OPD Building Nair Hospital Mumbai Central. It covers the area of South
Mumbai.
CHILDLINE Team deals with the cases of children in need of care and protection, and provides
timely help such as protection from abuse, missing & run away children, referred to shelter
homes ,medical and provide legal assistance. The team works for restoration & repatriation of
children to their families.

The service has been designed for helping children in difficult circumstances mainly for children
in communities and streets. Now a days the project receives cases of sexual abuse in the
community and families as well. The awareness program ‘’SATYAMEV JAYATE’’ also
helped people to look in to matter of abuse and harassment of children which reflected on
receiving cases of abuse of children.
Some initiatives of Hamara Foundation CHILDLINE Project.
1. Minor girl saved from trafficking
In the month of September 2013 there was a call reporting that a small girl of one year age was
about to sold by a family in red light area. The team took action immediately after receiving
the information. The team contacted ACP Social Service Branch, Mumbai Police to help
getting rescue this girl. ACP provided the team of police officers to CHILDLINE team which
coordinated with police and entered the area within hour. As it was difficult to locate the room
no.10 where the girl was staying, because caller did not mention the building name or any land
mark .Still the team was successful of find the child with Mumtaj. Team immediately took a
child in custody. When the police asked Mumtaj about the child , first she told that it was her
own child . After investigation with pressure from the police Mumtaj accepted that she was just
taking care of the child whose mother was a sex worker in the area. Police recorded the
statement of Mumtaj and her husband Habib as well as child’s mother. The team presented the
child before CWC for care and protection. Child is now safe and staying at one of the shelter
home situated in Culaba, Mumbai.
2. Child Labour Rescue
In one recent rescue in Madanpura area, 126 child labours were rescued in the month of March.
Maximum children were there from Bihar. The state ministry of Bihar tried to pressurize
Probation Officers to leave the children directly. It was not affect the regular procedure.
Justice to a girls education.

The Girl studying in 10th class was removed from school, saying that the child is not mentally
efficient to cop up with studies and need to study in other school. It was happen in August 2013.
School also recommended the other school, which was found to be a tuition class and not a
school when time comes for filing the exam form to Secondary School Certificate Board. Board
refused the child’s form as she was attending school till August. There is a rule that for external
exam form child should be out of school from June before the exam year. Team member forced
and argued a lot in the best interest of then child to get permission to attend the exam. Child
Rights Commission requested the board in the matter and Board allowed child to give exam in
March 2014. It was a success of continues requests and arguments with Child Rights
Commission by our team member.

CHILDLINE Collaborative Organization. Nair Center –
Cases Statistics: Sep.2013 to March 2014
Month Medical Shelter
Rescued from Abuse
Child
labour
Begging Physica
l Abuse
Parents
Asking
Help
Missing/
Located
Trafficking
/ Rescued
Restoration Unclassified Total
Sep.13 20 11 5 00 01 02 07 01 00 05 52
Oct.13 13 10 0 03 00 03 02 00 00 03 34
Nov.13 09 09 05 02 01 00 02 00 01 05 35
Dec.13 14 13 10 07 02 01 02 00 01 03 53
Jan.14 24 07 10 11 05 01 02 00 00 07 67
Feb.14 10 09 03 11 01 01 03 00 04 02 44
Mar.14 18 06 01 04 00 00 00 00 00 01 30
Total 108 65 34 38 10 08 18 01 06 27 314
Contact Hamara:
Address : Room. No 27, 1st Floor,
Gilder Lane Municipal School,
Mumbai Central,
Mumbai – 400 008
Phone : 2305 4108
Email Address :hamarafoundation@rediffmail.com

Other NGOs working for street children in Mumbai:
1. Smile Foundation
2. Vivekananda Youth Forum
3. SUPPORT (Society Undertaking Poor People’s Onus for Rehabilitation)
4. Sneha
5. Wokhardt Foundation
1. Smile Foundation:
"Sustainability, social equality and the environment are now business problems.
And corporate leaders can't depend on governments to solve them ..."
- Peter Senge, Founder, Society for Organisational Learning
Inspired by Senge's philosophy, a group of young corporate professionals came together in 2002
to set up Smile Foundation to work with grassroots initiatives for effecting positive changes in
the lives of underprivileged children, their families and communities.

Vision:
 Work as a catalyst in bringing sustainable change in the lives of underprivileged children, youth
and women, with a life-cycle approach of development.
 Enable the civil society across the world toengage proactively in the change processthrough the
philosophy of civic driven change.
 Adopt highest standards of governance to emerge as a leading knowledge and technology driven,
innovative and scalable international development organisation.
Mission:
Smile Foundation is to empower underprivileged children, youth and women through relevant
education, innovative healthcare and market-focused livelihood programmes.
Smile Foundation is to deploy best possible methodology and technology for achieving ideal
SROI (social return on investment), to practice and promote good governance. To link business
competitiveness of the corporate with social development initiatives; also to sensitize privileged
children, youth and citizens in general to promote Civic Driven Change.

Belief:
Smile Foundation believes that unless members of the civil society are involved proactively in
the process of development, sustainable change will not happen. Believing in this principle of
‘Civic Driven Change’, Smile Foundation sensitizes the civil society in order to make them
partners in its mission.
Leadership -People behind smile:
Smile Foundation is managed by a Board of Advisors comprising individuals from diverse
backgrounds and expertise. The board is formed for a period of one year and a few independent
members of eminence and reputation are nominated each year. Members of this board meet once
every quarter.

Approach:
Smile Foundation believes that education is both the means as well as the end to a better life: the
means because it empowers an individual to earn his/her livelihood and the end because it
increases one's awareness on a range of issues – from healthcare to appropriate social behaviour
to understanding one's rights – and in the process help him/her evolve as a better citizen.
Education is the most effective tool which helps children build a strong foundation; enabling
them to free themselves from the vicious cycle of ignorance, poverty and disease.
Smile Foundation realised that Education for Children cannot be achieved without the family,
particularly, unless the mother is assured of health care and empowered. Moreover, when an
elder sibling is educated and relevantly skilled to be employable and begins earning, the journey
of empowerment continues beyond the present generation. Smile Foundation extended its
thematic areas of intervention by supporting family health, livelihood, and women
empowerment. Children, their families and the community become the target group for Smile
Foundation’s activities as child education cannot be done in isolation and nothing else but
education for children can bring long lasting change in the society.

2. Vivekananda Youth Forum (VYF):
"They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive."
- Swami Vivekananda
“A platform to put myself on the line repeatedly in various challenging projects and discover
things about myself I would otherwise never have.”
- Subhasis Volunteer,VYF
About VYF:
Vivekananda Youth Forum is a non-profit, voluntary organization managed by young members
who wish to make a difference to their own lives and to empower those less fortunate in areas of
education, health, and creativity.
Formed in 1987 by a group of young individuals and inspired to make a difference in society
based on the character building ideas of Swami Vivekananda, VYF has worked with children
from a variety of backgrounds.
From imparting formal and non formal education to the children in the slums of Juhu to
interacting with street children in Mumbai to reaching out to the children of sex-workers in
Kamathipura (the largest red-light district in Mumbai), to identifying children with special needs
VYF has built a repository of knowledge and skills in understanding the specific needs of
vulnerable children who are at high risk.

What moves VYF:
 The number of street children in India is 25 million, which is the combined population of
Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Pune.
 Around 2.2 million of these street children die before the age of five.
 4.38 million children die every year in India, which is almost 12,000 each day or over 8
children a minute.
 The ones who survive are soft targets as they are young, and poor. The condition of these
homeless children often leads to them resorting to petty theft, robberies, drug trafficking,
prostitution, murder and other criminal activities.
 More than 5 million children all over the Indian streets are HIV positive.
 Most of the girls are raped, taken away by touts and sold in brothels.
VYF values:
Vision:
Secular and spiritual amelioration of humankind as a whole, irrespective of caste, creed, colour,
nationality, gender or religion

Philosophy:
Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy is our guiding force that of Atmano mokshartam jagaddhitaya
cha - “Live for your own liberation and for the good of others
For a dynamic and progressive society our country needs to improve the quality of life of every
individual. VYF believes that by trying to do this for others, people can discover within
themselves, dormant talents which are unique. We work towards developing this latent power
amongst the youth of every section of the society. We aim to provide an opportunity to
individuals in need regardless of their race, religion or other distinctions.
Mission:
Empowering youth who wish to make a difference to their own lives and children less fortunate
in areas of education, life skills, health, and creativity
Goals:
• Impart basic education, shelter and nutrition
• Develop inter-personal, social and saleable skills
• Imbibe leadership qualities in children and youth
• Serve others and explore your inner self

Organisation structure:
 TheTrustees
 President - Jyotishman Das Gupta - Naval Architect, Vice president of Indian Register of
Shipping
 Secretary General – Purnima Contractor – Educationist Principal of Greenfields Pre-
Primary School, over 30 years in the field of child education, Secretary of AECED –
Association for Early Childhood Education & Development.
 Treasurer – Aloka Dutta Gupta – Educationist Vice Principal of Greenfields Pre-Primary
School, over 35 years in the field of child education, Member of AECED
 Other trustees
 Radha Hariharan
 Sunil Naik
 Deepak Chabbria
 Mukulika Ghosh
 Sameera K
 Madhureeta M
 VYF currently has 5 full time employees, 6 part-time employees and approximately 30
volunteers, all professionals and experts in their own fields
Brief history:
• VYF was formed in 1987 under the guidance of a young monk of the Ramakrishna
Mission order, Swami Someshwarananda. He motivated a group of young individuals who
wished to make a difference in the society based on the man making ideas of Swami
Vivekananda
• Aiming to make our life more meaningful, we decided to become proactive and take
action rather than simply observing. Our goal was to involve the youth in bringing about social
change by bringing together the educated and the underprivileged for mutual empowerment

• We started by offering non-formal evening classes to the children of the neighboring
slums and over the next five years, we expanded to five other locations throughout Mumbai
• Over the years, VYF involved itself in various areas of community service such as relief
and rehabilitation work during natural & man made calamities, crisis intervention, vocational
training and youth camps
Sandhalaya:
VYF’s first ever project, started with five slum children, has impacted the lives of over hundreds
of children from neighboring slums in the last two decades. The majority of the children are first
generation learners. Their parents are illiterate and mostly work as domestic help or temporary
laborers

3. SUPPORT(SocietyUndertaking PoorPeople’s Onus for Rehabilitation)
Introduction:
SUPPORT is a voluntary Non Government Organization that has been actively working with
street children/adolescents, homeless youth (male and Female) in Drug addiction since 1985.
Since the last couple of years, SUPPORT has been working very closely on the issue of
HIV/AIDS. It has been registered under Bombay Public Act, 1950.
SUPPORT is a part of National Network for street children since 1994 and has been receiving
grants from Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment since 1993. SUPPORT has also
received financial assistance from Family Health International for “Detoxification programme
for child addicts” for the year 2002-2003. ASHA Seattle, USA has been funding us from the year
1999 for our major programme “Vocational training for street boys”.
We have a residential center for children below the age of 16 years who have been under the
influence of drugs. Our focus area is reduction of risk behaviour leading to drug abuse and
HIV/AIDS infection. We do extensive outreach on the various areas in Mumbai to reach out
large number of street children. While doing this our focus is always been on the children who
use drugs. Our emphasis here is to give basic values so they grow up as compassionate human

beings. They not only become financial earning members of the society but they also have basic
human values and attitude. The focus is here on character building of children who come from
the street background.
Vision:
To give children better access to education, recreation and an environment conducive to health
and well being of the individual.
Mission:
To reduce the incidence of HIV and Drug Use among street children, homeless youth,
commercial sex workers and street families.
Goals:
1. Education:
- Alphabetization/ Literacy of the street populace
- Enrollment of children showing interest into regular schools.
2. Health:
- Reduce the stress and anxiety caused by street life
- Improve physical and mental condition through nutrition and hygiene, awareness
programs
- Prevention of HIV/AIDS and other STDs as well as Care and Support for those in need
- Immunization of children in street families.
3.Rehabilitation:
- Detoxification through medical treatment.
- Economic and social development of the street populace to promote a healthy lifestyle
- Vocational training for productive jobs in society
- Reunite runaway street children with their families as and when possible.

JUSTIFINCATION OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTER:
Over the years, we have realised that economic rehabilitation should be part of our programme.
This is necessary for the boys who are not in the school going age. Economic self-reliant is the
foundation for behaviour change. Unless the boys are taken off the streets, it is not possible to
come out of the risk behaviour. As most of them are runaways at a very young age, they have no
education or any other skills. The skills that they have developed on the street was for survival in
that situation. To get them into the main stream of the society which is a main objective you need
vocational training where they can earn their own livelihood.
Vocational training programme was initiated with screen-printing, which was very successful.
The boys were very enthusiastic and they came for training in SUPPORT centre everyday in the
evening. Carpentry section is very much in demand so we have started this programme and this
training is a long-term course for a year. The boys during their training made various wooden
materials like cabinet holder, small showcase, tables, file cabinet, etc. There is also Welding
section where they will be trained for a year to learn various articles like grill, shutters and other
fancy articles. These training sections have also started taking contracts from various people to
repair their homes.

The Vocational training project shall include carpentry and screen printing where in the street
based population will be trained to alternate garner skills which will help them to have an
alternate dignified vocation, which will give them dignity in life. The project will set up a
independent training unit where the street based adolescent and youth population will be given
intensive training in building there skills on different vocations. This is a residential project where
the boys will be staying in the same premises.
Contact Address:
Ms. Sujata Ganega, Executive Director.
Old BMC office, 2nd floor Vakola Market, Nehru Road, Santacruz (East),
Mumbai : 400 055, India.
Tel : (9122) 616 2965
Fax : (9122) 617 5081
E-mail : supportkids2@roltanet.com
4. SNEHA (Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action for
Women & Children)
Making Health Care Accessible to Street Children: The ‘Hospital on Wheels’ Project:
About SNEHA:
SNEHA was formed by a group of concerned doctors and social workers to address the special
needs of women and children in urban slums. It was initiated by Dr. Fernandez in 1999 and was
in its nascent stage when these discussions took place.
Dharavi is a large and one of the oldest slum settlements in the centre of Mumbai. It is
sandwiched between Mahim in the west and Sion in the east. It is spread over an area of 175
hectares and has a population of more than 1 million people. It has a number of Health Posts, one
of which called the Urban Health Center (UHC). SNEHA’s main office is located here and

several of its projects were managed from this office. Primary NGO is a term used in this report
to indicate NGO that makes the first and consistent contact with the street children from different
categories YUVA, BECC, Snehasadan, and AAMRAE had tried out mobile health van and
ChildLine had networked with Nair Hospital for emergency health care to vulnerable children.
Preventive and Social Medicine (PSM) department of KEM Hospital, Mumbai had been
providing health care facilities to slum communities and vulnerable children through the Child to
Child Project, Malvani located in northwestern suburb of Mumbai).
Accessible Health Care: A Felt Need
The idea for a “Hospital on Wheels” (HOW) transpired when Fr. Xavier of the NGO Shelter Don
Bosco expressed this gnawing needxi to Dr. Armida Fernandez, who was then the Dean of
LTMG Hospital (henceforth referred to as Sion Hospital) in 1999. He pointed out that it was
very difficult for most NGOs to provide adequate health care to street children as one staffer
(accompanying the child) would have to spend almost the entire day at the public health centre,
as the waiting time and procedures for completing case papers, examination and treatment in
general was long and arduous. He wondered if the health services could be brought closer to the
NGOs, either to the shelter home or to the day shelter in a consistent manner. He imagined that
this would not only save time and resources but would also make the public health services
accessible to this needy section of society in an appropriate way. This view was reiterated by
other NGOs working with street children in Mumbai at numerous meetings during that year
(between 1999- 2000) SNEHA responded to these calls for change. It resolved to explore a
model for making health care accessible to street children, as Dr. Fernandez firmly believed that

“readiness to do something when we can or have the capacity to do so facilitates change in
society.” Since it was imperative that street children are provided health care on their own ‘turf’
and health status be understood from their point of view, a mobile health facility seemed
inevitable. In keeping with its mission to develop replicable models to address health problems
of the urban vulnerable populations SNEHA planned the ‘Hospital _ on _ Wheels’ project. The
primary goal was of providing a comprehensive, mobile health care service that would be free,
easy to reach, less time consuming, and have a sensitive and empathetic health care providers.
Only this approach would make ‘access to health care’ for street children a reality.
Network:
We networked with 20 NGOs but have listed only 18 NGOs who were working with street
children in the table given in
Providing Comprehensive Health Services:
In keeping with its plan for providing comprehensive health care services, the H_O_W team
conducted curative, preventive and promotional health programmes with the children and the
primary NGO staff.

Dr-Samir-Mansuri-Reshmi-Ghosh-Dolly-Arora-Radhaben-Patel-Sudhaben-Patel
Curative Services
Curative health services were provided in three ways:
(i) Regular Clinics
(ii) Special Health Camps
(iii) Special Children’s Events
Going beyond health
Going beyond health issues was a strategy adopted by H_O_W to fulfill its objectives. In the
year 2002, SNEHA took on the responsibility of being a Support Organization for ChildLine and
carried out outreach work between Sion and Mahim (including Dharavi). The H_O_W team
carried out the following functions:
 Networked with the collaborative organization in the demarcated areas.
 Performed outreach work like sticking publicity posters of Childline in public places and
checking PCOs for the connection of the Toll free Help Line- 1098.

 Contacted institutions and organizations like Police Stations, School, Colleges and other
NGOs existing in the vicinity, to create awareness and sensitize them about street
children.
 Reached out to street children in emergencies, to render medical treatment and to admit
them to the infirmary or hospital, if necessary.
During the five years of the project the H_O_W team developed close relations with the street
children and was invariably drawn in to deal with a few issues that went beyond its primary
objectives. The H_O_W team responded to ‘calls for help’ in many cases like the one given
below.
Contact SNEHA:
SNEHA
Behind Bldg. No. 11, BMC Colony
Shastri Nagar, Santa Cruz (W),
Mumbai - 400 054, INDIA.
Phone : (+91 22) 2661 4488 / 2660 6295
Crisis Helpline : (+91 22) 2404 0045
(+91) 9833 052 684
Crisis Enquiries: gauri.ambavkar@snehamumbai.org
Other Enquiries : snehamumbai@snehamumbai.org
5. Wockhard’tFoundation
Mission:
To work towards and fight for the upliftment of the poor, weak and needy. Wockhardt
Foundation is a national, not-for-profit organization engaged in social service and human welfare
activities. Its 9 programmes have made perceptible change in its areas of operations to the lives
of the underprivileged. Mobile 1000, its flagship programme, aims at operating 1000 Mobile
Health Vans in rural India and administering free primary healthcare to 25 million Indians every

year. As of date, there are 102 Mobile 1000 Vans operating in 15 states and doing yeoman
service to rural India. Its other programmes like Bio Toilet, E-Learning, SHUDHU water
purification tablets, Wockhardt Health Education Institute and Khel Khel Mein have made
significant impact and it continues to expand its social coverage in areas where the need is the
most.
Says it’s Trustee & CEO, Dr. HUZ (Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala) -"Wockhardt Foundation operates
its social programmes based on the 3 B's - Big, Best and Bold. The Big ensures scale, the Best
ensures quality and the Bold ensures need." Wockhardt Foundation is governed by a simple
philosophy -"where every smile counts".
The work of Wockhardt Foundation has been well recognized in the outside world with it being
the recipient of many Awards including the prestigious “Inclusive India Award - 2012” for the
best social work in primary health by a corporate.
Philosophies
Wockhardt Foundation is governed by the following philosophies which give
it "Moral" and "Spiritual"guidance
 Service to man is service to God
 We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give
 A candle loses nothing when it is used to light another candle
 Where every smile counts
 Wish for others what you wish for yourself
 The poor don’t need pity, they need help

 Mankind is one family dependant on God, and the most beloved to God is the one most
beneficial to it
 Poverty somewhere is a threat to prosperity elsewhere
 When you help others, you help yourself the most, because God grants you peace and
happiness
 A life of giving is the only life worth living
 What you give in charities, comes back to you multiplied many times over
Programmes
Achievement

Beneficiaries:
 1,39,05,496 patients checked with free medicines
 4,75,860 times people benefitted
 81,75,000 times students benefitted
 1,26,03,680 people times benefitted
 Wockhardt Health Education Institute 34,660 student times benefitted
 Khel Khel Mein (23 Toy libraries) 2,27,347 times children benefitted
Organization Structure:
• Trustees
• Advisory Board
• Support Function Head
• Programme Head
• Warriors
1 Dr. Habil Khorakiwala
Chairman - Wockhardt Ltd
Founder - Wockhardt Foundation
Mrs. Nafisa Khorakiwala

Chairperson - Wockhardt Foundation
Dr. HUZ (Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala)
Trustee & CEO - Wockhardt Foundation
Executive Director - Wockhardt Ltd
Contact Us
Office Address :
Wockhardt Foundation,
Wockhardt Towers,
Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (East),
Mumbai - 400051,
Maharashtra, India.
Wockhardt Foundation Helpline : +912226596666
E-mail Id : support@wockhardtfoundation.org

THE ROLE OF NGOs IN PROMOTING WELFARE ACTIVITIES
The emergence of organized Civil Society and of organizational manifestations of broader social
movements have dramatically altered the broader social, political and economic landscape. Civil
Society encompasses all the organizations and associations that exist outside the state (including
political parties) and the market. It includes the gamut of organizations like interest groups,
labour unions, professional associations (such as those of doctors and lawyers), chambers of
Commerce, ethnic associations and others. It also incorporates the many other associates that
exist for purposes other than advancing specific social or political agendas, such as religious
organizations, students groups, cultural organizations (from choral societies to bird-watching
clubs), sports clubs and informal communities, clubs. Such civil societies has emerged as an
overarching concept linking democracy, peace and security.
NGOs contribute to a civil society by providing a means for expressing and actively addressing
the varied and complex needs of society. NGOs promote pluralism, diversity, and tolerance in
society while protecting and strengthening cultural, ethnic, religious, linguistic and other
identities. NGOs advance science and thought; develop culture and art; protect the environment;
and support all activities and concerns that make a vibrant civil society. NGOs motivate citizens
in all aspects of society to act, rather than depend on state power and beneficence. NGOs create
an alternative to centralized state agencies and provide services with greater independence and
flexibility. NGOs establish the mechanism by which governments and the markets can held
accountable by public.

In the emerging scenario where civil society is playing a proactive role for various development
areas particularly women welfare, Women’s Studies Centre has initiated a novel idea of
developing collaborations and networking with various NGOs involved in the field of women
empowerment in the state of Punjab. Under this initiative, Women’s Studies Centre propose to
compile a video graphic profile of these NGOs and their activities focusing particularly on
education, health, nutrition and general awareness of women and children.
IVE Children, ESTD. 2002, is a registered non-profit charity working with the poorest of the
poor for their upliftment and empowerment through quality education and holistic methodologies
to channelize their energies and capabilities. Currently, working with 150 poor children who
include orphans, single-parent siblings, children of very poor labourers/daily wagers, child
labourers (especially girls). Its vision is to make the poorest of the poor, who don’t have access
to even the basic resources of life, to have more wholesome and complete knowledge, education
and life earning skills so that they become self reliant citizens and an asset to the society.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a major role in pushing for sustainable
development at the international level. Campaigning groups have been key drivers of inter-
governmental negotiations, ranging from the regulation of hazardous wastes to a global ban on
land mines and the elimination of slavery.
But NGOs are not only focusing their energies on governments and inter-governmental
processes. With the retreat of the state from a number of public functions and regulatory
activities, NGOs have begun to fix their sights on powerful corporations - many of which can
rival entire nations in terms of their resources and influence.

Aided by advances in information and communications technology, NGOs have helped to focus
attention on the social and environmental externalities of business activity. Multinational brands
have been acutely susceptible to pressure from activists and from NGOs eager to challenge a
company's labour, environmental or human rights record. Even those businesses that do not
specialize in highly visible branded goods are feeling the pressure, as campaigners develop
techniques to target downstream customers and shareholders.
In response to such pressures, many businesses are abandoning their narrow Milton Friedmanite
shareholder theory of value in favour of a broader, stakeholder approach which not only seeks
increased share value, but cares about how this increased value is to be attained.
Such a stakeholder approach takes into account the effects of business activity - not just on
shareholders, but on customers, employees, communities and other interested groups.
There are many visible manifestations of this shift. One has been the devotion of energy and
resources by companies to environmental and social affairs. Companies are taking responsibility
for their externalities and reporting on the impact of their activities on a range of stakeholders.
Nor are companies merely reporting; many are striving to design new management structures
which integrate sustainable development concerns into the decision-making process.
Much of the credit for creating these trends can be taken by NGOs. But how should the business
world react to NGOs in the future? Should companies batten down the hatches and gird

themselves against attacks from hostile critics? Or should they hold out hope that NGOs can
sometimes be helpful partners?
For those businesses willing to engage with the NGO community, how can they do so? The term
NGO may be a ubiquitous term, but it is used to describe a bewildering array of groups and
organizations - from activist groups 'reclaiming the streets' to development organizations
delivering aid and providing essential public services. Other NGOs are research-driven policy
organizations, looking to engage with decision-makers. Still others see themselves as watchdogs,
casting a critical eye over current events.
They hail from north and south and from all points in between - with the contrasting levels of
resources which such differences often imply. Some are highly sophisticated, media-savvy
organizations like Friends of the Earth and WWF; others are tiny, grassroots collectives, never
destined to be household names.
Although it is often assumed that NGOs are charities or enjoy non-profit status, some NGOs are
profit-making organizations such as cooperatives or groups which lobby on behalf of profit-
driven interests. For example, the World Trade Organization's definition of NGOs is broad
enough to include industry lobby groups such as the Association of Swiss Bankers and the
International Chamber of Commerce.
Such a broad definition has its critics. It is more common to define NGOs as those organizations
which pursue some sort of public interest or public good, rather than individual or commercial
interests.
Even then, the NGO community remains a diverse constellation. Some groups may pursue a
single policy objective - for example access to AIDS drugs in developing countries or press
freedom. Others will pursue more sweeping policy goals such as poverty eradication or human
rights protection.
However, one characteristic these diverse organizations share is that their non-profit status
means they are not hindered by short-term financial objectives. Accordingly, they are able to
devote themselves to issues which occur across longer time horizons, such as climate change,

malaria prevention or a global ban on landmines. Public surveys reveal that NGOs often enjoy a
high degree of public trust, which can make them a useful - but not always sufficient - proxy for
the concerns of society and stakeholders.
Not all NGOs are amenable to collaboration with the private sector. Some will prefer to remain
at a distance, by monitoring, publicizing, and criticizing in cases where companies fail to take
seriously their impacts upon the wider community. However, many are showing a willingness to
devote some of their energy and resources to working alongside business, in order to address
corporate social responsibility.
GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT IN DEVELOPMENT OF STREET
CHILDREN
Background:
Street children in India are “a manifestation of societal malfunctioning and an economic and
social order that does not take timely preventative action”. Thus, many scholars believe that
fixing the problems of street children depend on addressing the causal factors of their situations.
Additionally, as these causal factors are addressed, help for the immediate situation of street
children must also be given.
India has set in place various forms of public policy concerning street children over the past two
decades, but they have largely been ineffective because they are uniformed by sociological,
anthropological, and geographical research on street children, meaning they do not always
correctly assess and address needs.
Prior to 1993, the “Official Vocabulary” of post-independence India did not contain the term
“street child,” and street children were only helped because they were grouped with other
children that worked on the streets. For instance, the Coordination Committee for Vulnerable
Children worked to give identity cards to children working on the streets in order to help protect
them from police violence. In the early 1990s, facing pressure from non-governmental

organisations (NGOs), the Indian government created the “Scheme for Assistance to Street
Children,” which launched in February 1993. Though many NGOs had meetings with the
government to give feedback about the scheme and suggestions to improve it, none of these
recommendations were included in the final draft, making it very difficult for NGOs to
participate in it.
Since their entrance into the policy arena and the Scheme was set in place, street children have
been included in some other policies and programmes as well. The Indian Council of Child
Welfare has in cluded street children in their programms, and in the 8th Five Year Plan a scheme
for children in 6 metropolitan cities was set in place. The Ministry of Labour has also included
street children in their livelihood training programmes, though this has been met with minimal
success because many street children do not have the education necessary to participate in the
programmes.
CHALLENGES THE NGOs FACE:
Why they fail?
Most of the NGOs haven't been able to make the system work in a significant way. Sometimes, it
is felt that no two NGOs can come together for a greater cause. The donor agencies are also
responsible for such a problem as they normally impose tangible targets on the NGOs they fund.
Size, scale and structure are the other challenges. But most NGOs realise now that a structure
needs to be in place to manage an organisation. It's also been seen that in case of a large number
of government schemes, only 2-3 per cent percolates down to the bottom.
Weak foundation:
Traditionally, many Indian NGOs began life with one person's dream to make a difference to
society. They went out and set up NGOs, which gathered strength and resources over time. But
with size came the problems of age, obsolescence and irrelevance. The problems are
compounded because most people believe they operate at margins of the mainstream economy.
But a few numbers dispel this myth. According to the Society for Participatory Research in Asia
(PRIA), there are nearly 1.2 million NGOs operating in India, and their total funding in 1999-00

was close to Rs 18,000 crore -- around 1 per cent of the country's GDP. Moreover, NGOs
employ nearly 20 million people -- some paid, others not.
The survey also notes that the main source of receipts for the NGOs are self-generated -- loans,
grants and donations. Foreign funds contribute only 7.4 per cent of the total receipts of the
NGOs.
Clearly, India's do-gooders need help -- in terms of professional management skills. In fact, most
NGOs have volunteers with good intentions, but poor management expertise. What they need to
understand, perhaps, is that in today's complex world, running organisations -- whether for profit,
or not -- needs more professional skills.
Vital link:
Take that. NGOs have to run like business entities, not charities. But they can't become pure
businesses either. A tough call. But here's where corporates can make a difference -- by backing
the do-gooders' initiatives and offering them their management skills to improve the overall
efficiency and efficacy. And in turn, the corporates can derive media attention and visibility
which is important for image-building.
Explains activist Anil Chaudhary, who has been a consultant to various NGOs and donor
agencies in the past and has tracked the sector on various dimensions: "Services require regular
reinvestment. In the 1980s, a deliberate effort was made to professionalise the NGOs. It started
off with the Ford Foundation opening Pradaan which started involving people from professional
institutes such as the IITs and the IIMs. However, once you have professionals to take care of
these issues, you have the problem of detachment as well, meaning the interest with the people
devote themselves for the cause is minimal."
Moot point. But things are changing in India too with newer players chipping in. For instance,
many of Standard Chartered Bank's community initiatives involve NGOs -- such as SPJ Sadhana
School, Pratham Mumbai and Delhi, Concern, CRY, Help Age and several others.
Says Kishore Singh, manager, Care International: "We've been in India since 1950 as an
organisation helping out the government in carrying out the relief and rehabilitation activities.

Later on, our priorities shifted to address issues such as Integrated Child Development Scheme.
However, our focus is mostly on health programmes."
Mind space of a potential donor:
There is one NGO for every 400 people in India, that is a lot. And when there are so many of
them, there is a race, an unhealthy one, for money and your attention. These NGOs raise Rs
40,000 crore - Rs 80,000 crore in funding annually and most of it goes into maintaining the staff
on payroll. While this might be good for NGOs where the core service is the human resource
(Eg. counselling children of sex workers), in many other cases (Eg. Solid waste management,
Solar energy) which require some capital, funds often fall short. There is a problem with mind
space of a potential donor. We would expect urban, educated Indians to know what to donate
right? Well they don't. People confuse donation with waste disposal
Here is one of our biggest challenge- the mindset of people:
If a large number of thoughtful, sensitive people send us duly washed and repaired material, a
number of people and organisations send us this!! from soiled clothes to undergarments with
blood, used sanitary pads to potty seat with potty !! some glimpses from Delhi, Mumbai,
Kolkata, Faridabad and Jalandhar. It is certainly not worth sharing but do share.. as not only it
eats our meager resources but challenges the dignity of everybody from volunteers, our team to
the people for whom they 'donated' !!

The pictures are self-explanatory. So the main challenge NGOs face is people, people who don't
like change, people who have a false sense of what giving means, people who just don't care and
that is symptomatic of a lot of wrong things we see in India today.
Mis-communication & Misunderstanding:
The problem is just not on the supply side. Consider something like Teach For India or Pratham
books (Pratham) who both work towards achieving universal quality education through different
means. There have been several instances where the recipient of the goodwill (the student) is so
against the teacher & the organization, that the entire effort put in till date goes to waste. So there
are different socio-economic challenges while integrating two different layers of society and mis-
communication & misunderstanding often end up wasting a few months of dedicated effort.
Then there is the problem of social acceptance for the person working at the NGO. Considering
the society's obsession with stable, high paying, secure jobs working at NGOs is often looked
down upon and seen as something one would do due to lack of other options. And if the work
involves working with daughters of HIV infected sex workers, it is hard not to be ostracized
especially if you come from a low or middle income background.
Money :
NGOs need money for operations. There is no direct correlation with the work and income i.e
unlike a for-profit company where the work you do is directly sold for revenue, the correlation
between raising money and solving problems is very little. So NGOs have to put resources on
creating successful media campaigns, getting the right connections, filling tons of forms and
paperwork for grants, aid and taxation. Not to forget the hassles in getting the NGO recognized
as an NGO and finding a secure way of getting tax-exempt donations. What all this results in is a
lack of focus. The people created the NGO to solve a problem and now the focus is on doing
things that get attention to help raise money. This leads to disconnect between vision andwork.

Common problems facedby the NGOs are:
1. Caste system- This is still a major problem faced in remote areas, as shown in the movie
Swades. People don't like their children to sit and study with other lower castes.
2. A different Patriarchal society - While in cities, women are more empowered even if the
society is patriarchal, in the rural areas, women have virtually no rights. NGOs find it very
difficult to convince women to leave their household chores and come to attend classes
organized for them - like sewing, handicrafts, etc. And we all acknowledge the fact that it is
really important to educate women in the society.
3. Convincing parents to send children to school - This is, as I have realized, much much
harder than what people think. Parents have no affinity for education - they don't give a damn
about what "dreams" we show them - they are too burdened by their poor fate that they want
their children to join their farming, etc business asap. So NGOs have a very difficult time to get
children for studying.
4. Lot of students drop out - If the parents do send their children, they expect that they will get
results immediately. They are obviously discouraged to see that education takes years before it
can earn them some money. So NGOs efforts often gets wasted.
5. Conventional methods don't work - Given parents reluctance to send their kids and also
children's disinterest in education, if you adopt conventional means like teaching through
NCERT books, it doesn't create any impression in their minds. Many NGOs have started
using "innovative teaching kits" or IBM Smart Kid devices - but these have their own logistics
and problems, one being very limited scalability.
6. Less support from local govt bodies - This is directly related to corruption. Educating people
would eliminate various means that officers use to exploit the people. Many NGOs receive
resistance from the local bodies.
7. Unhygienic conditions - Poor healthcare facilites, dirty environment, and similar conditions

make it difficult to send dedicated volunteers to these areas. Even if NGOs has all the money,
finding motivated volunteers for such places is very difficult.
8. No water and electricity - Again, the volunteers dont prefer to go to these areas.
9. Difficult evaluation metric - NGOs find it very difficult to evaluate progress in such
conditions. Given that the children get little exposure to a lot of things, we can't conduct standard
exams. Lot of NGOs have now started conducting ACER Tests, but sometimes success can be
judged by the decrease in the dropout rate. The point here is that people generally fund NGOs
with high "success" rate, which NGOs find very difficult to determine.
Three top challenges thatgrassrootsNGOs face:
1. Not all have it in them to deliver value to the poor. I have discussed what I feel are
essential attributes of NGOs here (Makarand Sahasrabuddhe's answer to What are the
qualities of an effective NGO?) I know that these are demanding attributes and that there are
few organisations, even international ones of repute, that actually fit this bill. I also know
that those who do reasonably well on these, end up delivering excellent results. Point is that
many grassroots NGOs lose the plot completely on some or all of these attributes.
2. Ability to attract high quality staff: There is a feeling that NGO staff NEED not be
paid market rates since they are after all 'development people'. I discuss this in case of CEO
salaries here Makarand Sahasrabuddhe's answer to Is it ethical and/or efficient for executive
officers of a non profit to make more than $200K a year in salary? and this applies to staff
below that level too. The more remote the areas that the grass roots NGO works in, the
more difficult it is to get very experienced & qualified staff to stay and work there. Let us
also remember that NGOs compete with private sector and government for talent, and they
just do not always have the resources to level the playing field.
3. Credibility : Not all NGOs have been necessarily formed for altruistic reasons because in
some cases forming an NGO makes good economic sense, to the founder. Bitter but the truth
nevertheless. After all the NGO promoters come from the same society that all of us come
from and there is no reason to believe that only the most honest will come in. It does not

help that 'NGO' is a catch all term that covers 'sports clubs' to ''International aid
organisations'. One bad apple and the whole basket gets tarnished; funny that one does not
see this happening in the business world.
CONCLUSIONS/ RECOMMENDATIONS:
As one of the most marginalized and victimized sections of society, street children should be
provided with a comprehensive health services programme. While providing health care is the
primary responsibility of the government, it is the obligation of everyone to contribute to the
fulfillment of this responsibility.
A majority of street children, despite efforts made by government, NGOs, civil society and
international agencies, remain marginalized and out of reach. Evidence shows that street children
are unable to penetrate the barriers of access to health services. The model tried by SNEHA was
both comprehensive as well as accessible to the street children under its purview. Any
programme aimed at improving the health status of street children will have to take into account
street children’s strong sense of independence. If health care is to be accessible to street children,
it must be free, easy to reach and access, less time consuming, sensitive and empathetic.
Apart from the valuable efforts already made by the Government of India in terms of policy and
programmatic changes, there is a need for some additional changes at the state and MCGM level
to make health care more accessible to street children. For example policies like no user fees,
mobile services, reducing waiting time in outpatient departments, caretaking during admissions,
provision of “aftercare”facilities especially for children with disabilities, child addicts and HIV
positive street children, and maintaining proper referral mechanisms for follow-up would go a
long way in making health care accessible to street children. The lessons learned from the
H_O_W project regarding developing systems for mobile services, referral, hospitalization and
infirmary could be reviewed while formulating such policies. There is much scope for
sensitization of public health and private sector health providers regarding street children. This
could ensure that all levels of public health care providers encourage street children to access
public health services and improve their health status. Health should be viewed as an important

basic need of the street children, and should be advocated as an agenda for collaboration among
public, private and government agencies. Sustained advocacy with policy makers by all
concerned civil society groups regarding the health of street children should be continued.
Reiteration of the National Policy for Children, 1974 and the National Plan of Action for
Children, 2005 at various forums would also be a step towards ensuring health and nutrition
services to all vulnerable children, including street children. As health and development are
closely related, it is crucial that all concerned groups look beyond health programmes for street
children.
Scholars and agencies have suggested various strategies to help street children, many of which
focus on the use of NGOs. A.B. Bose of UNICEF and Sarah Thomas de Benitez of the
Consortium for Street Children suggest that the main responsibility of assistance should be given
to NGOs, which should be backed financially by the government. Because NGOs have the
ability to be more flexible than the government, they are better able to meet the needs of street
children in varied circumstances.
The Human Rights Watch suggests that censuses of street children should be taken in various
cities in order to help NGOs have accurate data about the street children population and plan
programmes accordingly. The Human Rights Watch also makes various legal suggestions for the
protection of street children in their study of police abuse and killings of street children. These
suggestions include the amendment of Sections 53 and 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedures to
make a medical examination necessary when a street child is detained, ratifying the United
Nations 1984 Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment, and to amend the Juvenile Justice Act in order to create a mechanism
for complaints and prosecutions for abuse.
Following is a delineation of the responsibilities and objectives to address the problem of street
children:
-Responsibilities of NGOs to offer an effective service to street children.
-Responsibilities of governmental associations to establish cooperation and offer technical
assistance to all children’s institutions.
-Responsibilities of businessmen towards street children and their projects.

-Responsibilities of the community to change the negative image about street children.
-Responsibilities of the family to find continuous channels of communications between children
and their families.
-Responsibilities of the media to give a good and clear picture about the dimensions and critical
nature of the problem.
Based on the above recommendations, a network of NGOs was formed to address the
problem of street children, under the auspices of the National Council for Childhood
and Motherhood.
Thank You!!!

ISR_Kalidas Jadhav_Hamara Foundation

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