Street children are those children who spend their life on the streets, conducting all the daily activities and earning a livelihood from working on the streets. They are devoid of personal hygiene, nutrition and health facilities because of which street children are vulnerable to malnutrition, hunger and dreadful diseases. There is a lack of asecure environment, a place where the children can call their own where various basic facilities are provided along with the presence of caring and protective adults, which will help children to develop themselves and gain the confidence to be a part of the mainstream.
Early years are crucial for the development for every child. These are the years for developing values, attitudes and inculcate good habits. In India Social stigmatization of SC ST and DNT communities has always been a major challenge as such communities are constantly on the move. Children, especially girls in such communities are the worst sufferers and many of them land on the streets without any protection or chance for resurgence. In the project communities 80% girls drop out from education after 5th-6thth std., whereas 75% boys drop out in 9thstd. There are 5% girls who have never been to school. Instances of child marriage are common in these communities. In the project communities, most boys have to start earning money from the age of 16-17 years. They get into odd jobs or selling small items, balloons, lemon chilli chimes at traffic signal etc. As communities are not linked with ICDS, no access to institutional deliveries puts both baby and mother at high risk. Also there is no record of malnutrition among children as they are not linked with ICDS.Thus, there is an urgent need to support and development of vulnerable Children living on the streets of Pune. Children from the communities that are continued are accessing ICDS services, going to schools and are engaged in meaningful activities. Also certain level of awareness is developed in the communities through the trainings and workshops on early childhood care, health, education, nutrition etc. To make these outcomes sustainable, the capacities of the community groups need to be built so that they become capable of sustaining the results of the project.
The project envisages providing necessary support to children in ensuring their rights and to build capacities of the youth, women and parent groups which will facilitate and enhance their development. The program also endeavors to act as a catalyst in the community, encouraging other school dropouts and children from nearby slums and shanties to attend school without fear of stigma or discrimination.
New Vision works with communities where there is high concentration of people who live/work/beg on the streets along with their children or send only their children to beg or sell on streets. The program is designed to work with the families to sensitize them about education and health of their children and encourage them to send their children to school. Main focus is on making the community groups ready to take responsibility for their own upliftment. The program empowers children about their protection and generate awareness about child protection in the communities. Youth in the communities are mobilized and sensitized on gender equality, sports and life skills.