Many children living on the streets of Kolkata are alone, with no trusted adult on whom they can rely. These children are vulnerable to abuse, trafficking, and exploitation, and are forced to find work in dangerous conditions in order to survive. The impact of these circumstances can have a devastating effect on a child’s life.
Providing safety and protection to street-connected children is a primary objective of HOPE. We work closely with local partners and the government’s Child Welfare Committee to identify children in need of care and support.
Based on the needs of the individual child, HOPE can provide assistance through residential and community-based care programmes. The aim is to restore children placed in HOPE’s Residential Childcare Programme to their families, where possible and appropriate. Support is then continued through the community-based education sponsorship programme. There is no age limit to HOPE’s care and individuals continue to receive support after the age of 18 if needed.
HOPE’s Residential Childcare Programme provides vulnerable children with a home away from home; a loving, caring and safe environment, where they can learn and grow into independent, successful and happy young adults.
It is always our priority to restore children to their families, where possible and appropriate. We work closely with families through interventions and help to improve the social and economic situation of a child’s home before restoration. Where a home environment does not exist, or a family cannot be traced, the children are referred for adoption.
Ten Residential Childcare Centres – six for girls and four for boys – have been implemented by HOPE, to provide temporary protective shelter for children between 6-18 years who are identified by the local government’s Child Welfare Committee to be in need of care.
Bekind Boys Childcare Centre: Bekind Boys is managed by HOPE and fully funded by Bekind Ireland. The boys are provided with a safe and secure protective home to learn and thrive.
Kasba Girls Childcare Centre: Girls identified to be at risk on the streets or within slum areas of Kolkata receive holistic support by Kasba staff. They enjoy recreational activities and outings, while residing in a safe, child-first environment.
Ashar Alo Girls Childcare Centre: This childcare centre provides all the necessary care and support for young women to become independent, informed, and confident through guidance, education and job placement support.
Ashirbad Boys Childcare Centre: Boys rescued from Kolkata’s streets and slum areas are provided with safety, shelter, and a loving environment which they can call home.
PBK Girls Childcare Centre: A shelter home for children of sex workers. As well as providing protection, counselling, and healthcare, PBK enables its residents to enjoy their childhoods by participating in education, recreation activities and holistic development.
Keertika Girls Childcare Centre: Twenty-five girls are supported through the provision of healthcare, education, protection, counselling, nutrition, and recreation activities. Many of the residents are victims of trafficking and abuse or were identified as being at risk of such violations.
BPWT Childcare Centre (also known as Snehneer Childcare Centre): Protective shelter which provides care and support to HIV/AIDS infected and affected children, ensuring they receive quality health and medical care, nutrition, counselling, family support and formal education. 25 boys and girls are catered for in the Snehneer Childcare Centre.
Crisis Intervention Centre, Male: Providing immediate care to boys and young men who are found to be in perilous situations on the streets of Kolkata. The boys are placed in short-term care and receive nutrition support, counselling and rehabilitation, as well as support to return home, if appropriate and possible. If the children are unable to return home, they are moved into a Residential Childcare Centre for long-term care, protection and development.
Crisis Intervention Centre, Female: This temporary shelter provides immediate care and protection to girls and young women who are experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect on the streets of Kolkata. The services provided are the same as the male Crisis Intervention Centre.
Punorjibon was established to identify and provide safe shelter and treatment to vulnerable boys and young men experiencing substance abuse disorders. These young people are often found living on the railway platforms of Kolkata, having been abandoned, orphaned, or run away from home.
Child Watch is a unique project centred on the care and protection of vulnerable children and building a strong bond between communities and education, protection and healthcare systems.
The project focuses on enrolling children within the age group of 6 to 14 years in formal school. Vocational training support and guidance are given to children over 14 years of age who have stopped attending school.
Child Watch works closely with the parents, especially fathers, to increase their involvement in their children’s lives and encourage children to ensure retention in school.
One third of married women in India have experienced emotional, physical, or sexual violence by their spouses. Incidents of violence at home significantly impact the physical and mental wellbeing and safety of women and their children.
HOPE’s Mother and Child Care Unit was established in 2010. It is a short stay shelter that provides safety and support to women, and their children, who have been abandoned by their families, experienced domestic violence, and have been compelled to leave home and seek shelter on the streets or railway platforms of Kolkata.
HOPE’s unique programme for young adults supports them to continue further education and acquire vocational skills for independent living.
Young people over the age of 18 who have no family networks, some of whom are orphaned or abandoned, are placed temporarily in the Aftercare Programme. During their time in the programme, the young people receive nutritional support, medical treatment, assistance with higher education and professional skills training. The aim is to develop their skills, knowledge and self-confidence to build an independent and sustainable future.
