Caring for Orphan and Destitute Children

Childhood is the most crucial and formative period of human life. A child is the future of the nation. A healthy childhood is essential for future growth and development. It is greatly influenced by parent, family, society and environment which formulate attitude, behavior, manner and emotions. Millions of children across the world are deprived of this crucial phase of life, those are the orphans, abandoned and destitute children. In the absence of the child’s parents, grandparents or reluctant relatives are not willing to take care of the child. The child is left in lurch to fend for himself/herself.There are about 153 million orphan children living in the world and Asia is the home for nearly 60 million of the children. It has been observed that about 11 million abandoned children, 90% of whom are girls, live in India. Odisha, an eastern Indian state has about 16,382 orphans who live in the orphanages. There are 272 child care institutions in Odisha, registered under the government (Juvenile Justice Act 2014) and they provide care as per the norms of Act. ( Reference: IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences(IOSR-JDMS) Vol.14, April 2015 ; Article“ Growth and Development among children living in Orphanages of Odisha, an eastern state). There are thousands of children in Buguda and Polasara blocks of Ganjam district who are orphans and destitute. Many children move around the Ashram premises doing nothing, begging and finding ways to eat and spend time. Many children are found to be employed in hotels and dhabas. Many are migrating to other places often unnoticed. Child trafficking too is a big issue in the area.

Caring helpless and hapless children is the responsibility of the society. Believing in the philosophy and principles of Sri ShiridiSai Baba, the Sai Baba Seva Ashram Trust brought some of these children to the fold of the Ashram and provided them food and free education facilities within the Ashram premises to enable them to join the mainstream education system. This activity of the Ashram is on a limited scale due to lack of fund. There are many more who are living in villages and perhaps in need of our services to care for them, make them educated and empowered.

Considering the magnitude of the problem the Trust now intends to expand its activities to the village level and cover at least 100 orphan and destitute children in both Buguda and Polasara blocks of Ganjam district. (50 children in Buguda and 50 children in Polasara across five villages in each block ). There shall be ten orphan children education centres in each village. The place for education shall be provided by the community. The identified children shall come to the centre on a regular basis to receive education, get food and get medical facilities. Once in a year they will be provided with clothes and blankets. Once they are skilled to catch up age appropriate education they will be enrolled in normal schools. Effort shall be further made to support their higher studies. In each centre there shall be a teacher to teach them and take care of them.

The proposed interventions are as follows;

• Free education

• Free food

• Free medical care

• Free clothes

Duration : One year

• Orphan children receive education and health care

• They join the mainstream education

• Child migration, practice of child labour and child trafficking get reduced

• Reduction in social crimes

• Care for helpless and hapless children

INNOVATIVENESS:

 - Reintegration of children into mainstream schools.

 - Value and culture orientation of the process and context of education of non-formal model.

 - Creation of opportunity for students for self-expression of their hidden talent in art and

craft, dance and music, games and sports etc.

 - Innovative co-curricular activities.

 - Mobilizing child participation in community services.

 - Assisting children to grow self-assertive with increased self-confidence and self-image.

 - Child to child Development and Rehabilitation plan.

The organization has a full fledged plan to establish an orphanage within the premises of the Ashram in future.

Your benevolent support for this noble cause is highly solicited.