Satyam Foundation: Street Children Forum

Vision:

Provide support services through partners to restore vulnerable children back to their families or place them in institutional care in Satyam locations.

Helping spread smiles among street children

Main service offerings:

• Partnership—with NGOs and agencies
• Awareness—internal and external
• Edutainment—educational and entertainment activities
• IT support—Website creation, networking, training staff, and children in IT courses/other skills
• Capacity-building trainings for children and staff of NGO

Activities:

• Game playing
• Storytelling
• Expose children to new ideas and issues of vocational training and career planning
• Readings of books, newspapers, and academic material
• Introduction to computers
• Organization of workshops on interesting and enriching themes
• Outings and educational picnics.
• Skill training
• Donation drives–among associates, in schools and colleges, in community for clothes/books/toys and celebrations
• Play for peace
• De-addiction camp support
• Sponsorships for adolescent education
• Mentoring
• Research on behavioral change and development of vulnerable children
• Large events featuring multiple activities to bring vulnerable children under one roof
• Inviting cash donations to maintain transit homes adopted by the forum

The Forum has also launched a newspaper donation plan. Money collected from newspaper sales is used for shelter upkeep. Currently, 850 associates donate to this cause.

Book distribution at the Street Children forum

A Street Child’s Life Profile

• Stage 1—Leaves home on own, is lost in crowd, is abandoned by family, or orphaned by circumstances and natural disasters, or wants to get adventurous with peer group.
• Stage 2—Reaches city/town by train or bus, alone or with elders and friends
• Stage 3—Identified by NGO/railway police/vendors at stations
• Stage 4—Counseled to come to NGO or police drop-in center
• Stage 5—Registers with local police and is kept in lost children's list by police until relocation/repatriation/parents informed
• Stage 6—Kept in drop-in center or at transit rehabilitation centers of NGOs/or sent to government observation centers if found with criminal background
• Stage 7—Sent to school if desired and does not want to go home. Or is sent home if child provides accurate address and parents can be contacted.
• Stage 8—Addicted children are sent to a month long de-addiction camp before being placed in a shelter or sent home.
• Stage 9—Some children prefer none of the above and stay on streets and platforms; they work and earn but want to be responsible to nobody. They stay in touch with NGOs operating in their areas and seek help for health or education as needs arise. They also help identify other lost children and hand them over to NGOs.
• Stage 10- adolescents counseled and sponsored for vocational training, followed by job placement.

Children with the educational kits

Street Children Forum: A need for Partnerships

Help

Original ideas that can be implemented with little or no financial support

• Find young volunteers/family members to support our activities
• Find financial sponsors for future programs (sponsoring a street child's study, books, art material, musical instruments, stationery, toys, clothes, shoes, blankets, towels, etc.)
• IT support after completing needs assessment surveys
• Interacting with children at shelters and drop-in centers and motivating them, or sponsoring a child's education
• Help create infrastructure by collecting needed items

We need you:

• To share information on your skills and spend time at shelters
• To help us build a database of resourceful professionals interested in volunteering (doctors, teachers, skill development tutors—dance, drama, music, art, craft, cooking, languages, academic subjects, etc.) who could be engaged to organize activities/workshop/training for street children
• To motivate them to go back to school, take up skill training, save money to invest in small businesses
• To spread awareness on HIV-AIDS, health issues, and personal hygiene
• To create fun activities and get involved with children on weekends
• To plan trips, picnics, and film screening for groups of children with family and friends

Chennai Chapter

• The foundation has a directory catering to the needs of special children. The directory has a list of organizations, educational institutions, hospitals, manufacturers of aides and appliances, and retailers. It now covers agencies within India.
• A daycare center is being launched to reach out to special children on the outskirts of Chennai, and in rural areas.
• On World Disability Day, disability awareness was conducted. Materials such as books, toys, clothes, and therapy items were donated to special schools.
• Associates and family members spend free time with special children, helping develop their social skills. They do this via gardening, art sessions, etc

Want to Volunteer? Please contact us