World Food Day 22 - So grateful for a full tummy

Project Help India celebrated World Food Day this October by having lessons and a special healthy meal at each of our centres. We are thankful for our Coordinator, Mrs Shalini Singh and our teachers who made this possible. Emphasis was placed on the importance of valuing nutritious food with the slogan “bringing our hands together for needy persons.” Sadly, we currently see the incidence of hunger growing in the slums where we work, due to the significant escalation in the cost of essential food items at the markets. The increase in the cost of living impacts the poor and needy in the slums before others.

When our kids come to class every day, they each receive a nutritious meal. For every child this is the most substantial meal that they receive. They are grateful for a full tummy …and boy do some eat a lot! Thank you to the generosity of our supporters who make this possible.

A very lucky escape for our student - Adnam rescued from kidnappers

We are so thankful for Adnam’s safety and for the education he has received.

This story is a significant one and demonstrates the power of child safety education. Adnan has a cognitive disability. Ever since a toddler he has roamed the streets unsupervised - vulnerable and highly at risk. Attending our centre has minimised this somewhat, yet he continues to be vulnerable. Our students receive frequent safety lessons and we are pleased that he knew to yell for help. We will continue to reinforce a number of safety lessons in all of our centres. Our Field Worker reported…

Adnan is a student at our Project Help, Disability Centre, and has been receiving education at our Disability Centre for three years. Adnan’s cognitive disability sometimes imapcts his judgments about other people's intentions or social situations. Adnan likes to go for long walks in the market all by himself, he often goes for long strolls without informing anyone at home. He always comes back safe and sound but last week a very serious incident took place.

On 9th October when Adnan was as usual wandering in the Kotdwara Railway station, a group of men kidnapped him by luring him with money. The men asked him to come along with them on the train ride, promising him money. Adnan naively sat with them. The men along with Adnan got as far as Najibabad station some 25km away. Reaching there he asked the men for the money and didn't receive any. Perceiving that something might be wrong Adnan started crying out for help. His screaming grabbed the attention of his brother's friend. He reached out to Adnan and noticed that he was with a group of unknown men. He asked Adnan about his whereabouts and how he reached there. Adnan narrated the whole incident His brother's friend quickly informed some nearby shopkeepers and hawkers asking for help. All of them beat up the men and rescued Adnan who was later dropped back home by his brother's friend. Adnan is currently doing well and is safe with his family.

Adnam came to school the next day with a big story to tell. We thank God for his safety.

Fabulously good news - especially for 12 kids

One of the most rewarding and satisfying aspects of our work in India is when we can share good news stories about the people we are able to help. Recently I have written to you about Project Help India's anti-human trafficking work. I had mentioned to you that we are working with the state police to help vulnerable children through Operation Mukti. This week 12 kids were given a hopeful and much brighter future because of the concerted efforts of the Operation Mukti team. We wanted to pass on this news to you straight away because it really is fantastic and the support you give through your donation has made this great news possible.

Operation Mukti anti childhood begging

In partnership with the Government Railway Police, this week some of the Project Help team travelled to the Haridwar Train Station – a renowned busy place where religious pilgrims, travellers and tourists gather and where children beg. This week, Operation Mukti identified and worked alongside 25 vulnerable children. These kids would normally spend the day begging by the railway, fossicking for recyclable rubbish with many preyed upon to work with local mafia gangs. Many of the girls are sexually abused too, which then ultimately leads to their involvement in prostitution. Through counselling and an intervention program 12 of the kids were enrolled in a local school. Project Help India gave them each a school bag with school books, stationery items and some chocolate too. The police will ensure that these kids are monitored and supported over time. We know from previous experience that starting school plays a vital role in ensuring children's safety and long-term positive life outcomes ...so again, thank you!

Also this week, Project Help India was pleased to make a small donation to the Railway Police Station, by purchasing a drinking water dispenser. The police were thrilled and most grateful.

The highs and lows of slum life in India

Life in the slums is tough and no one deserves to live in the squalor and miserable conditions that we have observed and experienced firsthand on the numerous occasions that we have visited over the past 10 years. Yet where there are people there is community, with laughter, smiles, mischievous kids playing games on the street, friends chatting, men fixing a broken motor bike, and a sense of people coming together to help and care for each other …not to mention a cow or pig wandering through the middle of it all. The place is raw - with moments of misery and joy going hand in hand. One moment you are overcome by the stench of sewerage, the next you are tempted by the aromas of a street vendor boiling sugary sweets or firing up a delicious curry. Every moment is a bombardment of the senses.

For Project Help India, the people we help and work alongside are known as the Dalits or the ‘untouchables’ - they live all across India - victims of the caste system, marginalised and vulnerable. We dream of a better life for them. We choose to advocate and fight for them. ‘Project Help India’ is all about friendship, learning and growing with each other. As we get to know these beautiful people, we also learn about ourselves. And as we bring love, hope, dignity and purpose to their lives and circumstances, our lives are changed and we too, become better people.

Project help India is making meaningful impact in these people’s lives and in the slum communities. The generosity of our supporters makes all of this possible, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

The photos below represent some of the highs and lows over the past few weeks.

We mourned the death of 14 year old Aman, a student at our Kotdwara Disability Centre. He died of illness related to being immunocompromised. We are thankful for the 4 years that we could bring love and happiness to this beautiful boy’s life. If it wasn’t for our Disability Centre he would never have left his home.

Our Bijnor school kids decided that they wanted to clean some of the local streets

Our Bijnor students also initiated a community anti-drugs rally.

Some of our staff have been meeting regularly with the local police as part of Operation Mukti – to rescue kids from begging and get them into schools.

Kids just want to have fun ...and they are learning so much!

Over this past month the kids who attend our centres have enjoyed so much - way beyond the traditional ‘classroom’. They’ve been playing games, enjoying sport, dancing and celebrating 75 years of India’s independence, planting fruit trees and learning about environmental awareness as part of the Harela Festival.

Environmental awareness and the Harela Festival

Harela is a festival celebrated in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and in some regions of Himachal Pradesh. This festival is celebrated on the first day of Shravan-Maas, as per the Hindu Luni-Solar calendar and marks the onset of the rainy season. At this time people pray for a good harvest and prosperity. Harela means "Day of Green", agriculture-based communities of the Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh region consider it highly auspicious, as it marks the beginning of the sowing cycle in their fields. As Harela symbolises the sowing seed, it advocates conserving and saving the environment.

To celebrate this festival the team of Project Help India was approached by the Forest Department of Kotdwara to assist them on a plantation drive in the forest regions of Kotdwara. The children from the city centre and slum centre and their teachers travelled into the forest where they were heartily welcomed by Divisional Forest Officer, Sub Divisional Forest Officer and forest rangers. The Forest Officer addressed the children about the “Harela” festival and further educated them about the importance of trees and the small steps they can take to save and conserve the environment. The children with the help of forest officers planted fruit trees like mango, guava and Indian blackberry and gooseberry.

Through the training we are providing, our teachers are learning the power and importance of designing ‘hands-on’ learning experiences for their students. Our Project Help India Centres are challenging the notion that children must learn in front of a blackboard in a traditional classroom setting (educators refer to this as “chalk and talk” …Who would have thought that learning could be so much fun. It’s magic!

Muskan - skilled and confident for life ahead

Muskan is a 15-year-old girl born to a Muslim family. Her father is a daily wage worker and her mother is a housewife. Muskan is the eldest sibling and has 3 sisters and 2 brothers. Her family is too poor for the children to own a cell phone and because of this, she was unable to access online learning during the COVID pandemic, and therefore she had no choice but to stop attending school. At the end of the lockdown, she was informed by the school that she was behind in her studies and she was not permitted to return to school. Added to this Muskan’s parents could not afford the school fees for all of the siblings.

Muskan, still wanting to learn and grow, took admission in the Women’s Sewing Centre a vocational training program started for women by Project Help India. She is currently in the final month of her sewing diploma course. She feels confident that she has learnt many new skills and with ongoing guidance and mentoring from Project Help she will start a small sewing business. Muskan now keeps herself very busy making repairs to her brothers and sister’s clothes and creating new clothes for them too. Her skills have also progressed enough for her to sometimes work in her uncle’s tailoring shop.

After the COVID lockdown last year she was becoming very anxious about what was ahead for her future. She is grateful for now having an opportunity that gives her confidence for her life. Muskan thanks Project Help for assisting her in achieving her dream. Further to this, by changing Muskan’s life, her entire family has benefited in many ways too.

Keeping Them Safe (Part 3 in our Anti-Trafficking series)

Our Women’s Sewing Centre provides a six month vocational program for vulnerable young women (aged 16 to 35) from the Kotdwara slum area. Some of these women were once students at our Education Centre, and some of them are mothers of some of the kids who currently attend our slum centres. The women attend morning lessons which run for 1.5 hours, five days a week. As well as receiving sewing skills, course participants are supported and coached in starting a small business.

Perhaps what is even more important than this, the morning lessons provide the opportunity for the women to receive group counselling, guidance and support as they face the challenges of a life of poverty. As we understand their personal circumstances we are able to respond to situations to ensure for their safety and wellbeing.

Empowering women and keeping them and their children safe

Our Women’s Sewing Centre is strategically placed to keep women and children safe. Many women in the slums are targeted by traffickers because they have little or no resources to find employment. These vulnerable women are exploited in other ways too, especially when if they are young mothers. Poverty is insidious and our work breaks a vicious cycle in so many ways. Our education and small business programs give dignity, hope and purpose. This is such important work.

Thank you

We are indebted to our supporters whose generosity has funded this program. Go to ‘Muskan’s Story’ to read how your financial support has had significant impact in one young girl’s life. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Child Beggars in India - keeping these kids safe

This is the second of a series of blogs about the work of Project Help India in the area of anti-human trafficking. In our first blog we provided an overview of the work we do, this week we want to tell you specifically about anti-childhood begging. Kids who beg are most vulnerable to trafficking - the two go hand in hand and are usually run by the same crime syndicates (local mafia) - especially in the slums.

There are at least 300 000 child beggars on the streets of India, with some estimates of over half a million kids. Most of these children do not attend school. According to Cook (2019), many children are actually abducted and forced into begging.

“The statistics are alarming. According to the Indian National Human Rights Commission, up to 40,000 children are abducted every year. The whereabouts of more than 10,000 of them remain unknown. What's more, it's estimated that 300,000 children across India are drugged, beaten and made to beg every day. It's a multi-million dollar industry that's controlled by human trafficking cartels.”

Project Help India contributing to ‘Operation Mukti’

It was just this week on Wednesday 3rd August that 2 members of the Project Help team, Shalini and Arunima, attended the first of a number of planning meetings for ‘Operation Mukti’ at the Kotdwara City Police Station.

‘Operation Mukti’ is a child safety initiative conducted by the Uttarakhand Police and led by the Deputy Police Superintendent. The operation will be held in partnership with a number of government departments including the Social Welfare Department, Child Development Department, Child Welfare Committee, Department of Labour and Employment, Health Department and Child Helpline Department. Project Help India is the only non-government organisation (NGO) invited to participate.

The motto of the operation is “Support to educate a child”. The aims are to;

• to stop child beggars.

• promote education among the children

• raise community awareness to prevent child beggars

• protect vulnerable children from trafficking and other forms of exploitation

Operation Mukti will be held across a very wide region of Uttarakhand State during August and September (60 days) and it will be divided into three stages.

Stage 1: To mark out areas where children beg and work as scrap/reg pickers. Children will be identified and educated about the dangers of begging and provided with pathways for attending school as an alternative.  

Stage 2: Delivery of a community awareness program is spreading awareness in the region about child labour, child begging and how people can assist to fight this social issue

Stage 3: Implementing individual plans (IPs) designed for individual children. Risk assessments for these children will be based on their level of risk of harm, needs and personal circumstances.

At the meeting our staff, Shalini and Arunima, spoke about the mission of Project Help India specifically about our education centres and parent seminars. The many officials were grateful for our willingness to contribute and they also acknowledged the significant contribution that Project Help played during the COVID lockdown.

The Project Help India team has been asked to play a critical role in Operation Mukti, particularly in the delivery of Stages 2 and 3. At the meeting, officials from all of the departments praised the work of Project Help India and acknowledged our key role in ensuring the success and smooth running of the Operation.

Further to this, the Child Development Department asked Project Help to assist in the rehabilitation of two orphaned kids from the Dugadda region. We were then approached by an official of the Child Helpline Department to assist in the resettlement of families from the Himalayan hills who have lost their homes due to the recent heavy rain.

It is an incredible honour for Project Help India to participate in Operation Mukti, and an important responsibility that we now have to help these 2 kids and people in need.

How you can help

For us to provide the time and resources require we ask for your help that we might specifically create the role of a Project Help Child Safety Officer. We mentioned this last week. We are seeking a donation of $1500 AUS would pay the annual salary a Project Help Community Care Worker - a specific role that we would love to create to specifically develop our anti-human trafficking programs, and participations in joint venture initiatives such as Operation Mukti. Please contact us if you can help.

Thank you so much.