Education, food and healthcare for street children

Every child has a spark inside them, a small dream that just needs care, love, and the right chance to grow. In the past few months, we have seen again how this spark has turned desperation into hope and confidence for the children.

None of this is possible without your kindness and continued support. Because of you, these children who once lived on the streets of Kolkata now have that all-important second chance and a safe place to learn, grow, and dream again.

We wish you could also meet some of these children who have been shining in their own special ways. If you wish to, then do please let us know.

The future is bright; the future is theirs

Homelessness should never mean hopelessness. Yet too many children are left behind simply because they cannot access education. By opening doors to learning, we are giving every child the opportunity to dream, grow, and build a brighter, healthier future. 

Here are 3 outstanding examples of how your support is helping these children to grow and develop.

• Malti (14 years) struggled for years in Class 2, often failing and feeling left behind. In January, she was placed with the Mercury group for more focused support. By May, she had passed in all her subjects and now participates eagerly in class. Malti’s journey shows what happens when children are given the personalised care, attention that they need, as well as being shown how to believe in their potential.
  
  
• Asif (15 years) had been the top student in his class for two years until a new bright student arrived. Instead of becoming demoralised, he quickly matched his fellow student’s abilities and performance. Together, the two built a healthy spirit of competition as well as becoming a source of help for the other children. In May, both shared the first position in their class. Their story is one of resilience, mutual respect, and the joy of learning together.
  
  
• Sisters Drishti and Aisha continue to shine. Drishti secured the first position in her class, while Aisha is steadily improving in her academics and social skills with perseverance and determination to make the most of her opportunities. Their commitment to learning is a testament to how these children will grow when provided with a safe, fun environment to learn in, and having a strong belief and faith in their own abilities.

A Growing Community of Care

One of the most heartwarming changes during recent months has been the start of the school’s House activities. Through this initiative, the children are grouped into “Houses” with dedicated teachers to mentor and guide them. This helps the children to adopt teamwork, responsibility, and leadership in a fun, supportive, and nurturing manner. Their participation helps them to develop their social and communication skills, as well as provide them with a sense of belonging to a small family at school.

For many of the children, who once felt invisible or neglected because of life on the streets or challenges at home, this has been a powerful change. They are now proudly taking ownership and pride in their participation in their Houses. This new sense of belonging is building their confidence, trust in others, and their own abilities, both at school as well as in life.

Families as Partners in Learning

During the recent quarter, we have seen parents stepping forward to also support their children’s learning, even in challenging circumstances. They wanted to be collaborators in their child’s journey of growth, learning, and better future development.

To foster greater participation amongst the parents, a WhatsApp group has been established for those parents who have access to mobile phones. They can now both access relevant insights and information about their children’s progress, as well as help their children with homework. It also provides complementary support and encouragement when the children are with their parents, to help their children’s continued progress.

This initiative has also encouraged the parents to become more involved in their child’s education, growth, and development.

Already, we see the impact: children who needed constant, additional support at school are now also able to study and learn while being with their parents, which helps them to grow in confidence.

Seeds of Change

Education for these children is not simply a matter of reading books; it is also about encouraging their creativity, a sense of empathy, and their resilience. Despite their many challenges, these children are finding ways to learn, adapt, and become aware of the world around them.

For example, by introducing the children to World Environment Day, the children were presented with an opportunity to learn more about their environment, how people live, and how they can contribute to a safer, environmentally friendly world around them.

The children were encouraged and shown how to research everyday solutions to address plastic pollution. They came up with some enterprising and innovative solutions for reducing single-use plastics by recycling household items creatively.

They also planted curry leaves, lemon, and chilli saplings for the school kitchen as a way of learning how the food they eat is grown. By learning to nurture their plants during the growing season, they gained experience in assuming responsibility for their actions, working as a team, and the importance of growing food in a sustainable manner.

Equally important, these activities created opportunities for children to socialise and collaborate, building friendships and a sense of belonging that are often hard to come by in their daily struggles. 

Together We Are Transforming the Children’s Futures

All of these activities, efforts, and careful nurturing by trained teachers and counsellors are ensuring that these children are looked after, provided a safe place in which they can learn, receive at least one square meal per day, and receive medicare when required.

However, there are many more children on the streets that we also wish to extend the same care and support to. We receive requests from many homeless parents for new admissions of their children from vulnerable backgrounds.

To give them the best chance to learn and thrive, we also need more space in our school and more resources. Every child deserves a safe place to study, play, and dream, and this is made possible with your continued support. With additional funds and resources, we can also help expand the schools', the teachers’, and the counsellors' capacity and capabilities. So please continue to help in every way that you can.

Every valuable contribution, no matter how small or big, gives these children the joy of learning, the safety of community, and the courage to dream. What may seem like a small act of giving becomes a lifelong change in the children’s journey.

Thank you for believing in these children and their right to a brighter tomorrow.