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There are at least 100,000 streetchildren in New Delhi. The Salaam Baalak Trust's shelters and contact points offer some of these children healthcare and nutrition, basic literacy, counseling and vocational training
Delhi's Connaught Place leads up to the State Entry Road, used by the President of India to access the president's platform at the Delhi railway station. This was the reserved route used by the viceroy and other sahibs before Independence. The outer circumference of the road gives way to the New Delhi Railway Station (NDRS) area, where a whole community of people lives inches away from the railway tracks, amidst the roar of passing trains. The State Entry Road slum is one of the few fortunate enough to have benefited from organised development efforts. It is covered under the Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT) Community Outreach Programme. The trust works in collaboration with the ministry for social justice and empowerment, which has been partly funding its activities since 1992. Praveen Nair, chairperson of the SBT, initiated the community programme after the film Salaam Bombay, made by his daughter Mira Nair, touched him. "I used to work for women and children even in my college days. I had no clue about the problems of streetchildren until my daughter made Salaam Bombay. The movie realistically portrayed the vulnerability of street children. I was fascinated by what these children are capable of, given the right opportunities," says Nair. The SBT, responsible for initiating the Girl Child Project to educate girls in the area, now focuses on all children living in the slum. In Delhi, the SBT runs three full-time shelters (two for boys, one for girls), a 24-hour drop-in shelter and three contact points. The contact points are located at the general railway police station, at platform No 6 of the NDRS, and at Hanumaan Mandir, all areas that house a large number of street children. "These points are not meant to provide permanent residence to the children. Children are free to visit these points, avail of the services (medical care, healthcare, counseling and basic literacy), and then return home. If they wish, they can shift to one of our homes to live and study there," says K N Mishra, coordinator of one of the shelters for boys, Aasra. "Our main target group is children who run away from home and board a train not even knowing the direction in which the train is travelling. They land up at the NDRS and many of them make the platforms their home. Some of them venture out in vain. Almost all such children soon find themselves helpless, frustrated and exploited," explains Mishra. When the children approach the SBT contact points, they are encouraged to join the shelters; otherwise they go back to the streets making all the efforts futile. "Our social workers regularly visit the NDRS area and bring children to the contact points. The police also bring street children to our homes. Many civilians call us to report street children willing to shift to one of our homes," Mishra says. The children who attend classes run by the SBT are given lunch to ensure that they eat a balanced diet. This draws in more children as parents are assured that their children will receive a nutritious meal. Many parents are unable to provide food to their children. Most people living in the slum on either side of the NDRS shunting lines work with the railways. "We are emergency staff. If a train slips off the track, we have to run, even at midnight, to repair the tracks. We must live here, otherwise we cannot provide emergency services," says a gangman with the railways. Many inhabitants of the slum, who have been here for over 25 years, have benefited from the SBT's efforts. Ramraj Yadav, for instance, finished his 11th and 12th grades by enrolling himself at the National Open School (NOS); the SBT is accredited by the National Institute of Open School to grant certificates. Ramraj is now writing his exams for the fitter trade at the Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Arab ki Sarai. Girls too have enrolled with the NOS and regularly attend health camps organised by the SBT. The Salaam Baalak Trust is one of five NGOs in Delhi running a 24-hour service called Childline, a project of the ministry for social justice and empowerment. Anyone in Delhi who finds a street child in need of help can call 1098 and automatically be connected to the NGO responsible for the area. The NGO will pick up the child as soon as possible. The SBT operates in the central Delhi area; Prayas is responsible for the same service in north Delhi; Don Bosco in the west, Butterfly in the south and the Delhi Brotherhood Society in the east. The SBT has extended its work to Mumbai and Bhubaneshwar. At Bhubaneshwar's Salaam Baalak Aasra, 40 of the 50 boys are undergoing formal schooling. "Our boys are free to go back home anytime they like," says Mishra. "In fact, we even send schooling expenses to their villages. We try to visit them roughly every six months." "While Aasra houses 6-14-year-olds, there is a separate drop-in shelter for children between 14-18 years. After schooling, they are encouraged to undergo vocational training. In collaboration with the Shramik Vidya Peeth in Ghaziabad, the SBT runs courses in tailoring, fashion design and computers, among others. In many cases, the training is followed up by industry placements. It's not all about education. The SBT also organises an annual vacation outside Delhi for the children. Recent trips have been made to Shimla and Kulu Manali. And, every week, the children go out on excursions and picnics within Delhi. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), India has the largest population of street children in the world. Some 18 million children live and work on urban streets all over the country. The estimates for street children in Delhi range between 100,000 and 500,000. Contact: The Salaam Baalak Trust
DDA Community Centre, II Floor
-- Chandiwali Gali, Paharganj
-- New Delhi 55
-- Tel: -91-11-23589305 InfoChange News & Features, September 2003
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