Project on ISR

PRAKASH KUMAR WAIKAR

ADM NO: HPGD/AP15/1490
SOCIAL CAUSE: YOUNG LIFE AT RISK

NGO: Don Bosco

PRIN. L. N. WELINGKAR INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT & RESEARCH.
YEAR OF SUBMISSION:2016

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 DECLARATION

I, Prakash Kumar Waikar, Student of Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management

Development & Research, with admission no.HPGD/AP15/1490, Hereby declare that I have
completed this project on ISR Don Bosco, Young Life at Risk

NGO: Don Bosco in the academic year 2016.the information submitted is true and original to
the best of my knowledge

Prakash Kumar Waikar

Signature of the Student

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I hereby take this opportunity to express my heart full gratitude to my organization Centrum Wealth
Management Ltd. who actively contributes to CSR from where I have got the inputs and help for my project on
ISR.

I would also like to thank Miss. Reena Bhosale, Hub coordination providing insights of the activities and
organization of Don Bosco

I would also like to express my indebtness to my family members, my friends and also my colleagues for their
constant support ensuring the completion of my project.

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 Table of Contents
TOPIC Page No
Executive Summary 5

Introduction to Social Responsibility 6

a) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) 7
b) Individual Social Responsibility (ISR) 8

NGO Don Bosco National Forum for the Young at Risk 9

a) Don Bosco 11

b) Histroy of YaR Forum 14

c) Vision and mission 15

Nature and work / YaR Forum Approach 16

A)Approach
B)Task

YAR Categories 17
Executive Director 17
Governing and green body 18
Project /Programs From YaR Forums 19
Caring community project 21

Home link /Childmiss 22

Services Provided by YaR 22

YAR Interest Group 32

YAR Centers in India 34

YAR and Child line 35

Govt. Schemes for YAR 36
CHILD MISS 37

Rapid Assessment survey 41

Children and Substance Abuse 42

Few NGOs working towards Development For childrens 48
A) Shelter Don Bosco 49
B) DON BOSCO BALPRAFULTA 51
Directors 54
History 54

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 Research -DON BOSCO BALPRAFULTA 65
Rapid Assessment Survey Of Street Involved Children In Mumbai 65
Bosco Snehalaya 70
Conclusion 72

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The project attempts to give an idea about the various Individual Social responsibilities (ISR) and awareness
about the requirement of how we as individuals can perform our social responsibility.

The social cause on which I have worked on in this project on CHILDRENS YaR (Young at Risk).A brief
insight is given on NGO: CHILDMISS, working on children with on the street, trafficked, abused, abandoned,
orphans, child laborers, school drop-outs, young prisoners or children in conflict with law, young substance
abusers, children in war torn areas, refugee children, children affected by dreaded diseases, and the youngsters
in other situations of risk.

The aim of CHILDMISS is to help children with, way of life and actions, to empower the young at risk and to
create a just and humane society by joining hands with socially responsible citizens and groups. so that they
could have a normal living and be included in the society. The same is the subject of the project.

Finally an attempt is made to capture the doing of CHILDMISS in a video, highlighting their work.

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 Social Responsibility

Social responsibility is an ethical theory that an entity, be it an

organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit society at
large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual has to perform so as
to maintain a balance between the economy and the ecosystems. A trade-
off may exist between economic development, in the material sense, and
the welfare of the society and environment.

Social responsibility means sustaining the equilibrium between the two.

It pertains not only to business organizations but also to everyone whose
any action impacts the environment. This responsibility can be passive, by
avoiding engaging in socially harmful acts, or active, by performing
activities that directly advance social goals.

Social responsibility is sub divided into broadly two:

A) Corporate Social Responsibility CSR

B) Individual Social Responsibility

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Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR has been defined by Lord Holme and Richard Watts in The World
Business Council for Sustainable Developments publication Making Good Business Sense as the continuing
commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the
quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as the local community and society at large". CSR is
one of the newest management strategies where companies try to create a positive impact on society while
doing business. There is no clear-cut definition of what CSR comprises. Every company has different CSR
objectives though the main motive is the same. All companies have a two point agenda- to improve qualitatively
(the management of people and processes) and quantitatively (the impact on society). The second is as
important as the first and stake holders of every company are increasingly taking an interest in the outer circle-
the activities of the company and how these are impacting the environment and society..

Social responsibility is the duty of business to do no harm to society. In other words, in their daily operations,
businesses should be concerned about the welfare of society and mindful of how its actions could affect society
as a whole. These days consumers have become more conscious of whom they are doing business with and
which products they should buy. Many companies who are looking for long-term profitability are looking for
ways to become more socially responsible.

Likewise, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) states: In the wake of increasing
globalization, Organizations have become increasingly conscious not only of what they buy, but also how the
goods and services they buy have been produced. Environmentally harmful production, child labor, dangerous
working environments and other inhumane conditions are examples of issues being brought into the open. All
companies and organizations aiming at long-term profitability and credibility are starting to realize that they
must act in accordance with norms of right and wrong.

3Es where Corporate intend to be Social Responsible are

Economic Responsibility Education of employees and young technicians is promoted
by organizing on-going training and qualification courses. The Companies have
an apprenticeship programmer where students can learn in order to
gain professional experience. Means of economic
responsibility ensure one of the most important
aspects of the Companys activity strategy the
highest qualification for its employees.

Ethical Responsibility Taking care of employees, their

families, communities and society. Corporate prepare annual events together; they also supports those in the
communities. They provide leisure opportunities for their employees and as well as opportunities for self-
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expression: They support employee initiatives to form clubs, and to establish professional unions. The corporate
are involved in projects for socially vulnerable community members (for example, children from orphanage).
Implementation of ethical responsibility helps the Corporate to get closer to its personnel and surrounding
communities.

Ecological Responsibility The Corporate takes part in initiatives on environmental management and also
promotes initiatives, related to the rational use of energy resources, sorting and recycling waste, etc. Labour and
health safety requirements are in force in the workplace.

INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

The individual social responsibility includes the engagement of each person towards the
community where he lives, which can be expressed as an interest
towards whats happening in the community, as well as in the active
participation in the solving of some of the local problems. Being "socially
responsible" is about all individuals behaving ethically and sensitively
towards social, economic, and environmental issues. It is about being
accountable for our actions and being conscious of the impact your actions have on
others, our communities, and the environment. The individual social
responsibility also could be expressed in making donations for significant for
the society causes social, cultural or ecological.

STUDENT SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: A subdivision of ISR.

Student social responsibility is the responsibility of every student for his/her actions.
It is morally binding on everyone to act in such a way that the
people immediately around them are not adversely affected. It is a
commitment everyone has towards the society contributing
towards social, cultural and ecological causes. SSR is based on an
individuals ethics. Instead of giving importance only to those areas
where one has material interests the individual supports issues for
philanthropic reasons. It forms the base for CSR or Corporate Social
Responsibility because if everyone in a business organization does
his/her bit the bigger things automatically fall into place. The trends
however show that big charitable organizations recorded high
growth due to the SR efforts of individuals and not corporate or the
government. ISR may be slightly impractical, especially in the modern competitive world, where everyone
works for self-interest, but it will succeed if we take decisions based on what will benefit a large number of
people and respect everyones fundamental rights. As individuals we can make our small contributions to
society by donating money to trustworthy

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 NGOs , saving our resources by reducing our consumption, e.g. by
switching off lights or computers when not in use.

Some of the individuals Socially Responsibilities

are mentioned below:

Keeping in view the

limitation of the project,
we cannot focus on
each and every of the
factors mentioned
above. We will narrow our view on one of the topics. i.e working
towards child development, focused mainly on child with
disability

YaR Forum India

Don Bosco National Forum for the Young at Risk
Don Bosco National Forum for the Young at Risk(YaR)
Palam Gaon, New Delhi 110045
Ph:+91 11 25081014
E-mail: [email protected]

Established by Salesian Provincial Conference of South Asia for reflection, sharing and coordination among
those involved in the Salesian ministry for the Young at Risk in South Asia, to network with likeminded persons
and organizations on behalf of YaR, to influence policies related to the Young at Risk at the state, national and
international levels.
Salesians of Don Bosco & CHILDLINE Service in India is Indias first 24 hour, toll free, emergency phone
outreach service for children in need of care and protection linking them to long term services for their care
and rehabilitation. Any child and concerned adult can call 1098 and access the CHILDLING service any time of
the day or night.
The service was initiated by Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai in 1996 in partnership NGOs that were
doing welfare services and MTNL. 1998, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (GoI) took that up as
a Project of the Ministry) Presently Ministry of Women and Children Development). 1999, CHILDLINE India
Foundation was registered as a Society and in 2000 as a Trust, with a Governing Body chaired by the Secretary
of concerned Ministry. The other members of the Governing Board are that of Corporate Personnel. No services
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providing NGO representatives are in the Governing Body.
The service expanded in partnership with NGOs across the country. There were annual meeting (General
Body?) of the Directors of various Partner Organizations to strategize, plan and execute various child care and
protection related services across the country. At state level, there were linkages with State Government
departments concerned with children welfare. At district level, there were non-hierarchical partnership of
Academic Institutions and service providing Voluntary Organizations. There were also a district level Advisory
Board constituted with the Administrative Head of the District (Collector) as chairperson and various child
welfare / development related departmental heads and CHILDLINE partner organizations heads as members.
They periodically met and evaluated the CHILDLINE services and provided necessary supports.
Generally, an Academic Institute is selected as Nodal Agency to network and facilitate training, advocacy and
awareness creation in the district. A service providing NGO is selected as Collab or call centre to receive the
CHILDLINE 1098 telephone call and extend the emergency service to the child in need and link the child for
long term services. A Support Organization/ sub centers are also selected to extend the services and awareness
in outer areas.
CHILDLINE India Foundation, with its Head Quarter at Mumbai and Regional Offices at Delhi, Calcutta and
Chennai monitor and financially support the local partners for the CHILDLINE services.
In 2009, CHILDLINE became an important component of Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) of the
Ministry of Women and Children Development (GoI). CHILDLINE India Foundation was recognized as the
Mother NGO/ Nodal Agency that would initiate, monitor and report all the Child Protection Services in the
country connected with CHILDLINE.
Consequently, the CHILDLINE India Foundation presents itself as the single authority to determine the
CHILDLINE services vision, mission, scope, components, procedures, protocols status of partners, etc. It has
brought out an M o U that every partner ought to accept and sign, if they want to be part of the CHILDLINE
network and many have already complied with.
Salesians in India have made decodes long services in the areas of child welfare, protection and rehabilitation in
the country helping out lakhs of children at Risk. In the past twelve years as partner of CHILDLINE network,
Don Bosco Institutions contributions are significant in the expansion, growth and acceptance of CHILDLINE
Service across the country.
In the implementation process of the M o U brought out by CIF, there are many difficulties and dissatisfactions
expressed by many partner organizations, especially those organizations who are the direct service providers.
There are many articles and clauses that affect the individuality, autonomy and functioning procedures of the
organizers. Though some of the clauses are acceptable in principle, the enforcement procedures from CIF or its
representatives have adversely affected the network relationship.
No individual organization has Economic, Human, or Legal capacity to raise the issue concerning the M o U
and the related matters. Some organizations heads are indifferent since they are not directly involved in the
services.
In this context it is important that Salesians of Don Bosco as one of the major child related service provider in
the country and CHILDLINE partner organization to take initiative in assessing the conditions in the M o U and
the subsequent protocols enforced upon the implementing agency by the Nodal Agency (CIF) and to take
remedial measures (meeting CIF Governing Board, Ministry and NGO networks) to work out healthy
partnership conditions and to sustain the partnership concept in providing services to the children.

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Don Bosco Our Inspiration
April 1, 1934. Thousands of young men sang joyfully as they accompanied the vehicle carrying the mortal
remains of a poor country priest who had died in 1888.The Italian text of the song referred to his
remains being carried in triumph from the hill where he had been buried, comparing it to the twenty-
kilometer walk the same priest had taken to Turin from his village with this poor,
illiterate mother, with nothing but a big dream in his heart and lots of love. He
was penniless, his family name did not count for much, he had no influential
relatives or friends.
But he had the deep trust in God that his mother had taught him, and deep
compassion for the homeless boys who roamed the streets in search of work, for
whom no one seemed to care.
Today, this mans name is magic. Millions of young people in one hundred and
thirty-two countries around the world have found and learnt to live responsible
lives because of this man Don Bosco.
Who was he? What did world? What did he do? Why dies his name spell magic
in so many cities, towns and villages around the world? How did the name
Don Bosco become a source of hope for countless young people? What was his secret? How did he achieve
the apparently impossible? Don Bosco loved the young. He loved them with a sincerity, intensity and tenderness
that broke down walls.
When, as a young priest, he came to know the pathetic conditions of the young men in Turins crowded prisons,
he approached the authorities with a proposal that bordered on lunacy. He asked for permission to take them for
a picnic to the countryside, where they could enjoy freedom, fresh air, fun and games for a day. The minister
whom he approached wondered whether this young priest was crazy. None of them will come back, he said,
They will all run away. I can guarantee that they will all be back, replied Don Bosco calmly. Relenting a
little, the minister asked about the number of policemen needed to accompany the group. Don Boscos reply
shook him; he did not want any policemen, with or without uniform. Having managed somehow to get the
minister to let a group of young prisoners go with him for a days outing, Don Bosco took the boys to the
country, where they could be free, laugh and sing and play. At the end of the day, every one of them returned to
the prison, as Don Bosco had guaranteed the authorities.
Prisoners or not, Don Bosco loved the young, and he believed that they would respond to love. In fact, he was
convinced that love yields far better results than punishments.
Contrasting two methods of education, one based on rules and punishments (the repressive system) and the
other based on warm relationships and kindness(the preventive system), Don Bosco chose the second, and
showed by his extraordinary success that loving kindness reaps much richer rewards than punishments. When
asked about the pillars on which this system was based, he mentioned three: reason, religion and loving-
kindness.
Reason: Ask what is reasonable. Show the young that what you ask for is for their good. The educator does not
just impose things.
Religion: Human beings carry the stamp of the divine in their hearts. No education is complete unless it trains
conscience. Good morals belong to the heart of training. A right relationship to God is the basis for a happy life.
Loving kindness: All of us long for love. This is particularly true of young people. They know who loves them
and who doesnt. When loved genuinely and generously, the young respond with all their heart. Love has the
power to transform a person that threats and punishments do not. Don Bosco learnt this, not from books or
theories, but from his experience.
When Joseph Buzzetti, one of his early collaborators, decided to quit in a huff, found a job in the city, and came
to wish Don Bosco good-bye, the saint did not lecture him on his fickleness nor scold him for quitting. This is
what he told him: Joseph, I am glad you have found a job. But, although you have a job, at the beginning there
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will be hardships. Opening his desk where some money was kept, he told Buzzetti,
You know this desk better than I do. Take from it whatever you need, and,
whenever you need something, dont hesitate to come and get it. Then, looking at
his young friend with evident tenderness, Don Bosco added, Joseph, we have been
friends. I hope you will not forget me. Joseph Buzzetti burst into tears; he never
left.
Rough, uncouth young men and boys who swore and gambled, smelt bad and
worked 12 to16 hours a day for a pittance, found in this unusual sort of priest
someone who understood them, and really cared. They were drawn to him like a magnet. One such boy, Paul
Albera, who later became the head of the worldwide Salesian order, said this about his experience with Don
Bosco: We were drawn into a current of love. We felt loved as we had never been loved before.
This miracle continues. Recently, when a priest went to use the Internet at one of Bangalores cyber-cafes, the
young man in charge told him how he had run away from home and was roaming the streets when he was
picked by the Don Bosco fathers and brothers. I had fought with my father, and did not want to go back home.
I may have ended up washing plates in a restaurant the rest of my life, and getting beaten up. I am what I am
today because of the Salesians. They loved me, trained me, got me to speak to my father again. I was never
made to feel different or unwanted for being a Hindu. They taught me to love my family again.
Don Boscos path of love inspired many men and women to choose the same kind of life. He himself founded
two Catholic religious orders, one for men, called the Salesians, and another for women, called the Daughters
Of Mary, Help of Christians (or, Salesians Sisters). The name Salesian comes from a saint he admired, Saint
Francis de Sales, who used to say, We catch more flies with a spoonful of honey than with a barrel of vinegar.
In other words, loving kindness wins over people better than harshness.
Today, these two groups, and26 other groups founded by Salesians, work in over 130countries. Their method is
what Don Bosco lived and taught the preventive system of education, based on reason, religion and loving
kindness. Don Bosco wanted his institutions to be genuine homes for the young, not cold, businesslike
operations run by rules. Hence the insistence on family spirit as the leading trait of a Salesian house and warm
personal relationships as the fuel that makes everything run.
Don Bosco knew how to combine a tender heart with great practical sense. Boys need love, boys need God, yes.
But they also need food, jobs, recreation, and wise guidance for the future. So, he wanted his Salesians to
provide an integral education that helps a young person to earn a learning, become a responsible citizen and a
caring spouse and parent, with concern for others and readiness to help.
He himself had to learn all this the hard way. His father, a poor farmer, died when Johnny was just two. His
illiterate mother had to raise three boys all by herself. Poverty drove the little boy to go and work as a servant
on a farm. He knew the meaning of hunger, helplessness and the indifference of clergy and other big people.
Far from becoming bitter, he decided he would grow up into someone who would treat poor kids differently. He
learnt many trades, slept under staircases on a sack, and went to school with much smaller boys. Felt called to
the priesthood, and decided to spend his life for homeless youth. His mothers words to him on the day he was
ordained a priest was a surprising bit of advice. After telling him that the priesthood was a path of suffering, she
added, If ever you have the misfortune to become rich, I will never cross your threshold. Although much
money passed through his hands, Don Bosco remained poor, and he stayed close to the poor.
Even when famous and sought-after by crowds and adored by royalty and common folk, Don Bosco remained a
humble man who never forgot his origins, and who attributed all his success to God. He saw himself simply as a
tiny, imperfect instrument in the hands of the good God. Ina dream at the age of nine, God revealed to him how
to change apparently wild and incorrigible youngsters: Not with blows, but with kindness. That was to be his
method for winning over the young, and teaching them what was good for them.
When he was in Paris, and huge crowds thronged to have a glimpse of this miracle-worker from Turin, bringing
sick people to him to be blessed- many were miraculously healed-Don Bosco turned to someone standing next
to him and asked him whether he knew a particular country road going from Turin to his native village. When
told yes, he replied, By the side of that dirty road is a meadow; that is where I used to graze cows as a boy.
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God raised this poor country boy and made him the father of millions of youth around the world. His secret is
no secret: An unruffled trust in God that made him dream big, face what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles,
and keep his soul at peace; genuine love for poor youth; confidence in the young. When criticized, for instance,
he would quote this little bit of folk wisdom, Do good, be cheerful, and let the sparrows chirp.
At his deathbed, as he lay dictating his last will and testament, when he uttered the words, my dear boys, Don
Bosco was overcome by such tenderness his voice failed. He felt choked with emotion. This is the man whose
heart embraced the world, and whose self-gift brought hope and new life to more young people than probably
any other person in recent centuries.
God blessed his work-better said, Gods own work, done through this humble, good man beyond the wildest
dreams of his contemporaries. Over 30,000thousand Salesian Fathers, Brothers and Sisters work in 132countries
today, by preference among the poorest and the most forgotten. Other groups started by Salesians, too, count
thousands of members.
The Don Bosco family in India is large and very much alive, stretching from gigantic urban centers like
Mumbai or Kolkata to the remotest villages. Its more than one thousand service centers include the largest
network of technical schools in the country (after the government), the largest network of shelters for street
children, 226 youth at risk centre catering to 292,000 boys and girls, sought after schools and colleges,
popular youth centers. It aims at loving the young as Don Bosco loved them, providing a happy home for each
child where he or she can grow up into a responsible, productive adult. The Salesian system of education, its
results tested by time on every continent, is an integral programmed of formation, training the body, head and
heart. It is marked by trust, not suspicion; by prevention, not humiliating punishments; by optimism about the
young, not disparaging comments. With Don Bosco, it believes in the young, and sees not only their needs and
pains, but also their extraordinary potential. This system of education, much like parenting, is not easy, but the
countless success stories in country after country have proved its effectiveness.
Together with the young, the Salesians, Don Boscos spiritual sons and daughters, want to build a better world-
of mutual love, prosperity and peace. One hundred and fifty years of experience in almost as many countries of
the world shows that this dream has become a heart warming reality for so many.
Don Bosco would often say, It is enough for me that you are young, for me to love you. His life was a living
out of this love.

We want to keep this love alive.

We want the miracles of his dream to continue
We want to dream with the young, and make their best dreams come true.
May the God-given power to love, which all of us carry in our hearts, find expression in reaching out to
whoever needs us the most.
This is what Don Bosco did.
This is what Don Bosco institutions in India and around the world are all about.

Histroy of YaR Forum

A formidable network of services, as astounding for its variety and reach as for its impact! Look at the figures:
354 Street Presences, 100 Shelter Homes, 117 Childrens Homes, 233 Street Education Centers, 63 Vocational
Training Centers, 29 Advocacy Units, 35 Missing Child Search Units, 26 24-Hour Childline Centers, and a host
of other projects across 72 cities and towns undeniably the most vigorous expression of Salesian Indias
concern for the Young at Risk, the most neglected and vulnerable section

of the countrys youth.

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The expression Young at Risk (YaR) embraces children and young people whose safety, growth and
development are put at risk through indifference and neglect on the part of parents as well as society. Generally,
the term refers to runaway children, school dropouts, rag-pickers, street children, child workers, young drug
addicts, orphans; those abandoned, abused or exploited; refugee-children, victims of war, violence and
calamities.

Inspired by Don Bosco, the Saint of the Streets, in the past thirty years or so the
Salesians in India have clearly established themselves as the pioneers and path-
breakers in bringing new hope for children in difficult situations.
Interestingly,their move to the streets in the 1970s was triggered off by the
helplessness of a City Corporation.

In 1974, the Mayor of Cochin was confronted with a problem.

He had on his hand 110 young delinquents an unruly
pack, indeed, of rough and tough pickpockets,
shoplifters, rag-pickers, runaways and what not! The
police had rounded them up from the citys railway stations,
bus stands, market places and streets. The Honble Mayor
was convinced that keeping them confined in a settlement under police surveillance was not the best solution,
but he couldnt see any alternative till, of course, he heard of Don Bosco. He approached Fr. Varghese
Menacherry, the Director of Don Bosco Youth Centre at Vaduthala. Would the Don Bosco people be able to do
something for these delinquent children? They are troublesome kids, but we need to do something for them, he
pleaded. Fr. Varghese nodded in agreement and added, Definitely. They need to be taken care of; they need to
be guided and taught some skills to help them earn a living.

The Corporation authorities promised to provide the place to keep them and also to meet all the expenses of
looking after them, if only Don Bosco would accept them. Fr. Varghese contacted Fr. Thomas Panakezham, the
Provincial of Madras, who gave the project full support and encouragement. And so, on 31 May 1974, the
Salesians received the first batch of 110 youngsters from the Municipal Corporation of Cochin in an old
godown of the Corporation in Palluruthy, which they christened Sneha Bhavan (House of Love).

Thus began a new chapter in the history of Salesian Youth Ministry in India a conscious movement towards
street children, those roofless and rootless young people one finds everywhere, especially in the cities, eking
out an existence by picking up things from around railway stations, bus stands and market places. Soon Sneha
Bhavans ripple effect began to be felt across Salesian India, especially among the younger generation. More
and more Salesians began to show a new interest in working for these young people.

In 1977-79, Fr. Joe Fernandez did the first-ever scientific study on street children in India, as part of his
Masters in Social Work at the Madras School of Social Work in Chennai. As his study was nearing
completion, Door Darshan, the national TV channel, (then in its black-and-white infancy years) telecast an
interview with Fr. Joe, highlighting some of the important findings of his study. Several photographs, taken by
Fr K. J. Louis, showing the life of children on the streets were also shown on the TV during the interview. Soon
UNICEF got interested in these photographs and bought them up from Fr. Louis for their campaigns during the
1979 International Year of the Child.

Without doubt, Fr. Joes study of the paper-pickers of Madras did create a new awareness of the phenomenon
of street children. In fact, beginning from 1980, the Salesian students of theology at KristuJyotiCollege,
Bangalore, started venturing out into the streets of the city, contacting the rag-pickers, under the banner of
Project Outreach. In course of time, through the young priests who passed out of Kristu Jyoti, this initiative
found echoes in all the provinces of India. However, it took the provinces a few more years to launch specific
works in favour of street children.
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 A National Forum
In the 1990s, Salesians working with street children in the various provinces of India, felt the need for greater
networking, and by the end of the 90s a National Forum for Street Children was formed. The name was soon
changed to Don Bosco National Forum for the Young at Risk, to include not only street children, but also the
many other categories of children whose lives are at risk due to various reasons.

Salesian intervention on behalf of the Young at Risk begins with the first contact on the streets, railway
stations, bus stands, markets, etc. Regular contacts and the consequent relationship help the youngsters to shed
their fears and anxieties. They are then invited to come to the drop-in centers, day-care centers or night shelter
homes where they have facilities to rest, relax, speak with the staff, and write letters to their families, if they
wish. This gives them a sense of belonging to some place and a feeling of security that one does not normally
find on the streets.

The Don Bosco Project for the Young at Risk comprises the whole gamut services that young persons on the
street need to enable them to get back to normal life with a sense of self-reliance and dignity. It includes
counseling, medical care, spiritual and recreational facilities, networking with other agencies for defending
child rights, non-formal education, job-oriented vocational/technical training, job placement, family contact,
family reunion and follow-up.

Vision and Mission

Vision
Inspired by Don
Bosco and challenged by the
marginalisation of
peoples
-especially of the
young, we will
strive by our

attitudes,
way of life
and actions, to empower the young at risk and to create a just and humane society by joining hands with socially
responsible citizens and groups.

Mission
We shall incarnate ourselves. as individuals and groups, in locations and communities
where marginalization is more prevalent.
We shall accompany the Young at Risk in their struggle to grow to fullness in freedom and humaneness.
We shall provide positive environments that will prevent exploitation and will empower the Young at
Risk to be agents of personal and social transformation.

15
 We shall create newer spaces to grow, live and work together; especially giving priority to participatory,
human and child rights perspectives.
With the Young at Risk in the forefront, we shall network with other socially responsible individuals and
groups in building communities and movements.
We shall build each of our Salesian settings into dynamic educative pastoral communities and vibrant
Salesian communities.

Nature of work/YaR Forum approach

Our Approach
Our approach is that of accompaniment, taking the first
step, meeting the young at whatever state of freedom
she/he is in, and walking with her/him in her/his struggle
to grow to the fullness of life and humaneness.
Ours is a preventive presence that provides a
positive environment by negating the causes and
structures of evil, exploitation and marginalization and
by growth generating experiences and transformative action.
Our preventive system is a process of growth for the young as well as the adult, both interacting with
each other, growing and helping to grow, and is based on the inner powers of reason, love and spiritual depth.
The process of growth for the Young at Risk covers all the dimensions of the human person and calls for
a ministry that is total and well planned. This process is achieved through education so as to heal and empower
every young person at risk, and enable this person to enter into society and be fully integrated into the
communities with the necessary knowledge, values and skills.
We create a family environment and a community setting where communion and sharing predominate.
We work towards the transformation of society, its values. attitudes, and philosophy of life so as to
achieve a civilization of love and culture of solidarity.

Our Task
The task of the South Asia Forum for the Young at Risk (YaR) is that of assisting YaR Centres
To ensure priority for the Young at Risk, especially for the most needy ones in their neighborhood.
To evolve a way of life, attitudes and action plans based on this priority
and to build communion and empowered communities therein and in every neighborhood. YaR, as a
platform of like-minded organizations and individuals, will assist them to carry forward this same task into each
of their areas of operation and into their environments.

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YaR Categories
Young at Risk (YaR) Categories
Young at Risk (YaR) is an umbrella term that
embraces several categories of children and
other young persons who are found to be in
various situations of risk. The statutes of the
YaR Forum name the following categories of young persons as Young at Risk. It is to such as those categories
that the network members of YaR Forum are invited to reach out all across India.

The Young at Risk categories are:Street children, child labourers, abandoned orphans, young prisoners or
children in conflict with the law, young substance-abusers, children in war-torn and conflict areas, refugee
children or children of displaced ethnic minorities, children in the sex-trade and children affected by HIV/AIDS.
A province may also indicate other similar settings for young people at risk as falling under this category.

Executive Director
YaR on an ADVOCACY MODE

Fr. Mathew Thomas SDB,

Executive Director, Don Bosco National Forum for the Young at Risk

The Annual National YaR Seminar/workshop on the theme, Training

in Advocacy on behalf of the Young at Risk, was held in Mumbai on
1st and 2nd March 2013. Three specific areas of the seminar
/workshop were: Understanding Advocacy, Sharing of Advocacy
experiences and Training in Advocacy. The event was well attended
by over 100 persons from DB YaR Centers across the country.
Our National YaR Network is at a point of realization about the
importance of advocacy and the pressing need to scale up its efforts in this regard. Don Bosco YaR Centers are
well known for providing various relevant services to the deprived young with much commitment. But that is
not all. The YaR centers do not want to be mere service providers anymore. Many YaR centers in different parts
of the country are tasting success in serving the marginalized young through advocacy measures too. Salesians
and other YaR personnel are advocating for the rights of the young, advocating to formulate policies and to
change policies, advocating to prevent and to deal with exploitation, advocating for schemes that would be
helpful for the young and they are joining Government structures for better governance for the benefit of Young
at Risk.
Within the context of a democratic state, advocacy functions on the premise, that it is the states responsibility to
serve its members by ensuring their basic rights, whether economic, social, cultural, civil and/or political. So,
many civil society groups who have begun to engage in working for the improvement of the deprived, have
realized that engaging the democratic state and its allied systems is an essential element in any effort to bring
about sustainable and wide- ranging improvement. This realization is also seeping into the collective
consciousness of the YaR Network.
In the way forward session of the Advocacy Seminar/ Workshop, the representatives of Salesian Provinces in
India came forward and clearly stated their intention to begin working for the Young at Risk on an advocacy

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 mode. Here is what the Indian Salesian Provinces said about their plans for advocating on behalf of the Young
at Risk in their locations in the coming one year:
Dimapur Province To advocate for the education of out of school children through RTE
Guwahati Province To advocate for the better functioning of schools so that deprived children are
educated well and that they do not drop- out.
Silchar Province To advocate for the better functioning of schools so that deprived children are
educated well and that they do not drop- out.
Chennai Province To advocate for the rights of Migrant youth/Children
Kolkata Province To advocate for birth Certificate for street children
Konkan Province To advocate for the protection of beach children
Hyderabad Province To advocate for the free transportation of homeless children for home restoration
Tiruchy Province To advocate for the rights of young women and girls by fighting against the unjust
Sumangali Scheme.
Mumbai Province Advocating for the rights of child labour and their rehabilitation back to source
areas
Bangalore Province To advocate against Child Marriage
New Delhi Province To advocate for the rights of children through awareness creation in the society.
They are urgent issues to advocate for. The deprived young in the area of the Provinces and in our country as a
whole are going to benefit from the implementation of the above decisions. It is the path for sustainable and
wide- ranging change. Let us wish them all every success for the courageous steps that they are taking to
advocate on behalf of the Young at Risk. After a year, at the next National YaR convention we will have stories
of great advocacy efforts from the Provinces. May NETWORKING be a key strategy that will be applied in all
the above advocacy efforts?

Governing and General Body

The General Body of DBF-YaR.
The General Body of DBF-YaR consists of the following
members:
a. The provincial in charge of the Young at Risk sector who
acts as the liaison between the SPCSA and DBF-YaR.
b. The South Asian Delegate for Youth animation.
c. The DBF-YaR Executive Secretary;
d. The Two joint secretaries
e. Members of the Provincial Commissions for the Young at Risk.

Governing Body of DBF-YaR

The Governing Body of DBF-YaR comprised the following:
a. The South Asian Delegate of DBYA, who is the Chairperson
b. The Executive Secretary
c. The two Joint Secretaries
d. The Provincial Coordinators of YaR
e. The Provincial of New Delhi, who acts as liaison between the SPCSA Council and the DBF-YaR.

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 FUNCTIONS
Functions of the DBF-YaR General Body
The DBF-YaR General Body ordinarily meets once a year.
To be a forum for reflection, study and exchange of ideas in matters pertaining to the Salesian ministry
for the young at Risk at provincial, national and regional level.
To propose plans and strategies for creating a more effective ministry for the Young at Risk in all
Salesian settings at regional, national, provincial and local level.
To draw up its annual plan and to propose it to the SPCSA for approval.
To propose every three years, three names to the SPCSA Council from among whom the SPCSA may
appoint one as the Executive Secretary and three more names from among whom the two joint secretaries may
be appointed.
Normal decisions are arrived at by a simple majority. The qu9orum is one-third of the official General
Body members. As a rule, voting is done by show of hands. A secret ballot could be had at the request of any
member, who passes a motion, which is seconded by another member.

Functions of the DBF-YaR Governing Body

The Governing Body ordinarily meets once a year.
It deals with all those matters entrusted to it by the General Body and ensures the implementation of
activities taken up by the annual general body.
It functions as the animating nucleus for Salesians in South Asia in matters related to the Young at Risk.
It is the decision making body of DBF-YaR and finalizes projects and details the annual action plan to be
presented to the SPCSA.
Ordinarily decisions are arrived at by a simple majority. The quorum will be one-third of the official
governing body members comprising the Chairperson and the Executive Secretary. As a rule, voting is done
by show of hands. A secret ballot could be had at the request of any members, who passes a
motion, which is seconded by another member

Projects/Programs from YaR Forum

Standardization of the YaR Centers/Mission in India
A process of serious reflection within the YaR Forum led to the conclusion that standardization can be classified
under two categories. The first category includes sound practices to be achieved by the local YaR Centers and
by the Provincial YaR commissions. Find below the standards to be achieved by the local YaR Centers and by
the Provincial YaR commissions.

Standards to be achieved by the local YaR Centers

1. Annual plan. Every local YaR centre will work to a plan that is prepared at the beginning of every New Year.
(June-May)
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2. Every YaR centre to be a legally registered body or part of a legal body (Society, Trust etc)

3. The childrens homes run by the YaR centre needs to be registered or must have a proper legal status
(Orphanage Board, Fit institution etc).

4. A documentation system updated records about the organization, its activities, its beneficiaries etc.
Someone in the organization could be given that responsibility to maintain the documentation as a continuous
process. Home link software could be used for the purpose of documenting the children who are served by the
organization. Use this software also for analyzing the work of the organization, for advocacy purposes and for
planning the activities of the organization. The relevant data from the Home link assisted documentation system
of the YaR Centers could be uploaded into the National Server for missing child search, child tracking and for
advocacy purposes. Once the centers have their documents and the documentation in place, providing necessary
data and information from the centre to the Provincial YaR commission Office and also to the National office
for the purpose of advocacy, visibility and policy formulation becomes easy.

5. Individual care plan for every child who comes under the services of the centre. This would mean that each
YaR centre must have its specific intake and social reintegration Policies in place.

6. Annual reports (June to May). The annual report is to be got ready by the end of June every year. A format for
it can be made available.

7. Every personnel of the YaR centre including the Salesians must have good knowledge of the YaR child Policy
and must sign their declaration of commitment to the YaR child Policy.

8. Network: Maintain good relationship with the Local Govt: Administration Bodies such as village, panchayat ,
Municipality , corporation , District Administration offices, Juvenile Justice structures such as CWC, JJB etc
and participate in their meetings. Become aware of the schemes of the Govt : that could support the YaR centers
and apply for those resources. Maintain good relationship with the Police department, Media, other NGOs that
work for children etc. in the neighborhood. Build up a strategy for local fund raising and self sustainability of
the organization. Form a group of eminent persons from the neighborhood who would defend and stand by your
centre- a YaR Centre Advisory Body.

9. Child policy Systems. Establish specific systems at the local YaR centre that are necessary for the
implementation of the YaR Child Policy.

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10. Campaigns and Researches. Be willing to be part of campaigns and researches initiated by the Province YaR
Commission and the National YaR Office.

Standards to be achieved by the Provincial YaR Commissions

1. The Province YaR Commission annual plan. It must contain the specific plan of the province and the
common directions given from the National Office which are common for all the provinces. It is important that
the plan is ready in the month of June.

2. YaR meetings and YaR Commission meetings, to plan, review and evaluate. Fix the dates of those meetings
for the whole year and have them entered in the Annual YaR Commission annual plan. YaR meeting; in the YaR
meetings, Directors of all the YaR centers/ventures in the province take part. YaR Commission meeting: in this
meeting only the YaR commission members take part. Both these meetings could be had on the same day.

3. Animation of the YaR mission in the province. At least one province level seminar/workshop a year on a
theme connected with the marginalized children and young persons.

4. Collaborate with the National Office for campaigns, projects, researches, documentation, news magazine,
YaR Day etc.

5.Support YaR Centers in the Province. Provide information to the YaR centers in the province regarding new
and relevant schemes, policies and legal systems connected with YaR.

6. Support the formation communities in the province for the capacity building of those in formation in YaR
Ministry. It could preferably be a continuous capacity building programmes or a particular activity during the
year (weekly ministry, exposure programmes, celebration of the YaR day, seminar, workshop, YaR Subjects
included in the syllabus, holiday ministry, Formation personnel are invited to participate in YaR meetings and
programmes in the Province).

7. Continuous information sharing about YaR Ministry possibilities with the Provincial and his council.

The National Secretary of YaR Forum went to each of the Provinces and met the Provincial, Youth Pastoral
Delegate of the Province, YaR Commission Coordinator of the Province and the Province YaR commission
members and discussed the above standardization proposal and they have accepted to implement it and go
through this process of standardization.

This is a great step in the right direction in our YaR Ministry. We are so happy about it. Standardization of all
the YaR Centers and commissions will lead to strengthening of the National YaR Network. This will definitely
help in achieving the objectives of Don Bosco National Forum for the Young at Risk. Something beautiful about
this category of standardization is that the YaR centers and the Province YaR commissions and the Provinces
have agreed to achieve those standards in their YaR centers and the commissions on their own.

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 Caring Community Project
India is home to the largest child population in the
world. The Children in the nation comprise more
than 40% of the total population of India.
Indias children are Indias future as strength of
the nation lies in a healthy, protected,
educated and well-developed child population that
will grow up to be productive citizens of the
country. It is estimated that around 170
million or 40 per cent of Indias children are
vulnerable to or experience difficult
circumstances. According to National Crime Records Bureau, there were 26694 incidences of crime against
children in the year 2010. These official data and the experiences of YaR forum in working with children are the
inspiring factors that led to the implementation of the Caring Community Project with an aim to build a
community which cares for its children especially those who are in deplorable and vulnerable situation. The
experiences of YaR forum is that we need to move more into networking with the community and empowering
it rather than working in isolation.

It is our YaR Forum experience that the interventions have been more effective and transformative wherever
YaR carried them out in close collaboration with the community. Our learning is that we need to move more
into this mode networking with the community and empowering it rather than working in isolation. In this
way society owns its responsibility for reaching out to and caring for its at-risk young people. This is the
concept behind Caring Communities.

This project is being carried out in ten YaR Center in the country one YaR center from wach province for a
period of two years (January 2011 December 2012) . The centers are, Bosco Mangaal Imphal, Snehalaya
Guwahati, Don Bosco Ashalayam Howrah, Don Bosco Ashayalam Delhi, Shelter Don Bosco Wadala Mumbai,
Margaret Bosco Bal Sadhan Goa, BOSCO Bangalore, Don Bosco Anbu Illam Coimbatore, Don Bosco Anbu
Illam Kavarappettai and Navajeevan Vijayawada. The caring communities are working to make the
community/society to care for the children and the young at risk and the caring communities centers are trying
to achieve this goal through collaboration and working with civil society groups, childrens clubs, youth
volunteering groups, collaboration with government and allied systems, networking with NGOs, promoting
alternative forms of care for the young at risk etc,. The project is being successfully carried out in all the ten
centers by implanting the spirit of caring community in the YaR centers and in their initiatives.

Homelink/Child MISS
The reality of safety and protection of children in India is alarming. Children gone missing, trafficked,
abducted, runaway, thrown away, etc., are not new to our society, yet the past decade has unearthed many
horrible aspects of these realities. Cases of missing children represent a conglomeration of different social
problems, including abductions/kidnappings, trafficking, and exploitation for various purposes by family
members, by non-family members or strangers. There are cases of children who run away on their own or
forced to run away due to compelling circumstances in their families and extended surrounding, children who
face unfriendly and hostile environment or who are abandoned and children who are lost or injured in accidents,
etc. Such marginalized children are encountered and rendered services by Government and Non-government
Organizations. Homelink / Missing Child Search Network is meant for such organizations.

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Homelink Network members use an uniform documentation software to record the comprehensive details of
children, staff, volunteers, reach out programmes, etc. and to prepare list, standard, statistics, analysis,
customizable reports, etc. to establish the database for Management Information System of the organization.
The Homelink website (www.missingchildsearch.net) captures missing children complaints (of police and
public as well) and matches with Homelink National database to track and trace the missing children and to
restore them to their families. Homelink Network System has optimal potential to analyze the data and
comprehend the dimension of the problem. Thus the organization can establish systematic strategy and
scientific approach of working with children/young at risk.
For more details www.missingchildsearch.net

Services provided by YaR

1. Street Presence
YaR functionaries from the YaR centers are present at the street corners, bus stations, railway stations, markets
and other places in the cities and towns with the intention of befriending children and the young on the streets
and rehabilitating them.

2. Rescue Booth in the Bus Stand

It is a booth established by the YaR centre in the bus stand with the permission and co-operation of appropriate
authorities with the intention of reaching out to the unaccompanied children and trafficked children who arrive
there or pass by. It is an opportunity to rescue such children and rehabilitate them to safety.

3. Rescue Booth in the Railway Station

It is a booth established by the YaR centre in the railway platforms with the permission and co-operation of
appropriate authorities as an extension of the YaR centre with the intention of reaching out to the
unaccompanied children and trafficked children who arrive there or pass by. It is an opportunity to rescue such
children and rehabilitate them to safety.

4. Drop in Centers
The children and the young on the street are reached out and befriended and are invited to the drop in centers
run by the YaR agency. It is a friendly place with a lot of freedom. The young can come in and move out at
anytime during the day. Recreation, TV, toilets, space to take rest, friendly staff and counseling facilities are
available for the young at a drop in centre.

5. Shelter Home:
Shelter Home is a centre for children established in a city or town. Children who are rescued from the streets
are brought to this centre for care and protection. Such children are those who have decided not to continue
living on the streets anymore. It provides short stay with many facilities for day and night and it is here that they
are helped to decide with counseling support regarding their future: to return home, to be part of other
alternative cares, to study, to get trained etc.

6. Night Shelter
It is possible that many of the children and the young especially in bigger city streets may decide to continue to
live on the streets. Forcing them to leave the streets may produce negative results. So they are invited to spend
the nights in the night shelter run by the YaR Centers and be safe. The night shelter is attractive with many
facilities and a friendly atmosphere. It is another opportunity for the YaR centre to motivate the young on the
streets towards rehabilitation.

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7. Mobile Medical Care Units:
The medical care units of the YaR Centers would regularly visit street corners of the city to provide primary
medical care to the children and the young on the streets. It is also another tool for entering into the hearts of
children on the streets to motivate them towards a more meaningful and safe way of living away from the
streets or other situations of risk.

8. Mobile Schools:
A vehicle with facilities for conducting education programmers and teachers move to different locations where
the children who do not go to school and educate them.

9. Street and Slum Literacy/education programmes

The teachers from the YaR Centers go to locations on the streets or to other prearranged spots or to the slums to
teach children. Children who live on the streets, child laborers and children who do not go to school from their
slum dwellings attend such educational programmes.

10. Saving Schemes for Children

The YaR Centers offer saving schemes to the young who live and work on the streets or in other situations
where they generate income. It is an excellent way to orient them towards a meaningful future and to
rehabilitate them.

11. Childrens Home- Boys:

Boys rescued from the dangerous situations or referred by Juvenile Justice Board or Child Welfare Committees
or by the guardians or those boys who have decided to leave the streets are offered care and protection in the
children homes.

12. Childrens Home- Girls:

Girls rescued from the dangerous situations, referred by Juvenile Justice Board or by CWC or by the guardians
and those girls who have decided to leave the streets are offered care and protection in the children homes.

13. Referral Services:

If the marginalized children contacted by the YaR centers do not have proper facilities to meet their special
needs then they are referred to competent institutions for care and protection and they are followed up by the
YaR Centers.

14. Medical Clinic with residential facility:

Children from the streets and other situations of risk who need special medical care are admitted into the
medical clinic of the YaR centre with residential facility. They are looked after by proper nursing care at the
clinic until they are healthy.

15. Library
The YaR Centre runs childrens library from where the young and the children who are under the care of the
YaR centre can read books.

16. Leap Frog courses for School integration:

It is an education programmes for children who have dropped out of education and who have not gone to
school. The education is carried out in such a way that it would facilitate the children to join school education,
to join age appropriate classes in the school.

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17. Community Colleges:
In the community colleges the young are given education and training to get them an employment. The need of
the society/community is taken into consideration to decide on what courses to be conducted in the community
college. This would facilitate their immediate employment after the training.

18. Formal School Education:

Children rescued and sheltered in the childrens homes of YaR Centers are provided formal school academic
education by admitting them into the schools.

19. Formal Higher Education:

The young who reside in childrens home and complete school education and who show academic competence
are further supported for university education as according to their aptitude and capacity.

20. Non Formal Academic Education:

Distance education, correspondence course etc. at school level and university level education are followed for
educating the young at the YaR centers.

21. Formal Technical Education

Youngsters who complete school education form the YaR childrens homes/centers and who have aptitude for
formal technical education are supported to do formal courses like ITI, ITC, Diploma etc. in formal institutions.

22. Non Formal Technical Education

Youngsters who have not completed school education or who have no capacity for further academic education
are given non-formal technical training either in YaR centre itself or in other institutions.

23. National Child Labour Schools:

The YaR centers educate children rescued from child labour through the NCLP (National Child Labour
programmes) of the Government. The children who undergo this education programmes are later admitted into
main stream school education.

24. National/State Open Schools:

YaR centers run education programmes offered by the National/State Open Schools to secure education for the
marginalized and at risk youth that they serve . The system, the open school offers seems to be quite suitable for
many of the youngsters of the YaR centers who would like to do studies at a different pace and it offers both
academic and technical studies.

25. After Care Homes:

Youngsters who have crossed the age of 18, who may be into technical training, higher studies or into first year
of employment are taken care of in the After Care Homes run by the YaR Centers. Most of the youngsters in
after care homes are those who may not have a home of their own.

26. Homes for HIV/AIDS Affected and infected children:

The children and the young who are affected and infected by HIV/AIDS are given proper residential care and
treatment in the homes run by YaR Centers.

27. Tent Schools:

Tent schools are a way of providing education to child laborers. Education programmes are conducted in the
vicinity of child labour situations like mining, factories etc. Often they are run in tents. It is a way of rescuing
child labour and admitting them into mainstream education.
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28. Evening school, tuition and study centers:
Children who do not go to schools, who drop out of schools, who are poor etc. are given educational support at
the evening schools, tuitions and study centers run by the YaR centers and by other Don Bosco centers.

29. School Adoption

Children who drop out of education are the target of a lot of exploitation, abuses and trafficking. A lot of
children drop out of education and are exploited. So YaR centers in their neighborhood adopt and support
ordinary schools to prevent children from dropping out of education.

30. Brass Band Troupe and Other Performance troupes:

YaR Centers set up brass band troupes and other performance troupes to train the children/the young in music,
dance and other cultural activities.

31. Inter NGO Meet:

The marginalized young who are looked after by different NGOs are brought together for common
programmes- festivals, completions etc. it is great opportunity for interactions for children and YaR
functionaries who come from different NGOs.

32. Scouts and Guides

Scouts and guides are movements that are promoted among the children in YaR centers for character formation
and right orientation to life.

33. Private Academic education for the poor who have low grades:
Children and the young with very poor grades do not get admission to continue with education in regular formal
schools. Such youth often fall prey to anti social situations and exploitation. So academic education
programmes are run especially for those with very low grades coming from very poor and marginalized
backgrounds.

34. Outreach Progarmmes to Government Juvenile Homes:

YaR centers reach out to Juvenile Homes run by Government with various services and collaborate towards the
integral growth of the children there.

35. Services to Young Prisoners:

Young prisoners is an important target group of YaR centers. They reach out to prisons where they house very
young prisoners (18 years- 24 years) with life orientation, educational and technical skill training programmes.

36. Education Sponsorship

Children and the young who are home placed by the YaR centers are supported with financial sponsorship to
support their education if they are from very poor financial background.

37. Centre for Physically challenged children:

Some of the children rescued from situations of risk are physically challenged and they are given care in centers
meant for physically challenged children.

38. Childrens Village:

If there are a number of children who are homeless and cant get back to their own families they are looked after
in childrens village. A childrens village will have several children homes, which are small homes to
ensure personal care.
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39. DB YaR Network:
There are over 70 Don Bosco centers that work for various categories of young at risk in India. They are
brought together under the banner DB YaR Network for learning from each other, for learning together and for
working together.

40. Income Generation Programmes:

A YaR Center could have the production of simple handicrafts and souvenirs or other useful products. The
children could be part of such activities as training in useful skills or as part time activities. Those children who
are part of such activates also will receive some income which they can make use of usefully.

41. Foster Care:

It is an alternate form of child care. Children, who have no homes of their own to go to, are given for foster care
to families who are willing and capable of taking care of children. It involves a legal process and continuous
follow up.

42. Small Home care:

B institutions or big childrens homes can be impersonal. So there are YaR centers that run many
children homes which are small in size. Each home may have 12 to 20 members with a house mother.

43. SSA Study centers:

Serva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a Government project to educate children who are marginalized and out of
school. YaR centers run units of SSA to educate the homeless children they rescue and reach out to.

44.DB Tech- MORD Project:

An effective way of rehabilitating the at risk youth that YaR Centers reach out to is skill training programmes
with short duration and immediate placement by DB Tech- MORD Project.

45. Life Skill Training:

The young who are rescued from marginalized and at risk situations are give life skill training as part of
preparing and rehabilitating them to main stream society.

46. Career Mela

It is a gathering of marginalized young persons whom the YaR centers reach out to. In this mela the young are
given opportunities to become aware of different options for future and employment.

47. De-addiction Centers:

Many children and young persons reached out to by the YaR centers are substance abusers. They are motivated
to go through the de-addiction progarmmes that are run by the YaR Centers.

48. Counseling Centers:

The children and the young served by the YaR centers are dealt with a counseling attitude. As many of them
have issues within that affect them negatively they are provided professional counseling help through the
counseling centers run by the YaR centers.

49. Weekly/Monthly Mela:

Children and the young who are contacted on the streets and at other places are brought together on a weekly or
monthly basis for fun, entertainment, food and orientation. This is an excellent opportunity for influencing them
positively to take meaningful decisions regarding their lives and future.
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50. Orientation Camps:
Camp methodology is an effective method for rehabilitating children and the young from the dangerous
situations that they live in. Children from the streets, from the railway platforms etc. are brought into orientation
camps (4 day camps, one week, a month etc.). These camps often become turning points in the lives of many
children.

51.Holiday Camps:
Holiday Camps are often conducted for children/the young who live in the childrens homes of YaR centers
during the vacation time. Relaxation, learning, entertainment, picking up useful skills, orientation towards
positive living etc. are part of such camps

52. Picnics:
Picnics are conducted for the young who are in the different programmes of the YaR center. Picnics are often
used by the YaR functionaries as a strategy to take the children and the young from the streets for a short period
of time for motivating them to leave the street life that they are addicted to and to help them to make new
choices for their life.

53. Home Restoration:

Restoring the children to their homes is the first priority of YaR Centers when they reach out to unaccompanied
children. Ones own home is the best place for children. When this is not possible other alternative forms of care
are considered

54. Home Follow Up:

To prevent the home restored children leaving their homes due to various reasons and to support them there YaR
Centers have home follow up programmes organized for home restored children.

55. Institutional Follow up:

Children and the young who are placed in other institutions for special care and support other than centers of
YaR are followed up by the YaR Centers.

56. Job Placement:

The young served at the YaR Centre and who are above 18 years are placed in appropriate jobs and followed up
by the job placement wing of the YaR centers.

57. Room Placement:

The young who are already job placed and earning are helped to hire a room/house and live on their own. It is
an excellent opportunity for those young persons to acquire the skills necessary for living on their own in the
future.

58. House Building Schemes:

The young who are totally homeless, who have no family not to go to, who after their training are working,
earning and saving are offered supportive schemes to build their houses. Contribution from the beneficiary is an
important aspect of this scheme.

59. Marriage Support Schemes

Totally homeless youngsters who grow up as beneficiaries of the YaR centre with no family of their own are
supported to get married and establish families of their own.

28
60. Self-employment schemes:
The youngsters who are trained with skills are supported with self-employment schemes by the YaR centers to
make a living.

61. Youth for Youth Clubs:

YaR centers bring together youngsters from the neighborhood and from favorable situations (economically
sound, good families, good educational institutions) to develop a concern for the less privileged children in the
society. Such efforts are called Youth for Youth clubs. Youth for Youth clubs organize programmes where the
privileged and the less privileged meet and share friendship and love. It is a way of building up a society with a
favorable attitude towards the less privileged to and an opportunity for the marginalized young to build up their
confidence.

62. YaR Exposure:

To transform the General society with a favorable attitude towards the less privileged young persons. The YaR
centers receive interested citizens, members from organizations, students from educational institutions etc. to
visit the YaR centers, to spend time with children and become aware of the work that is being carried out. They
are invited to join hands with the efforts of the YaR centre for the young at risk through different ways.

63. Volunteering:
YaR Centers promote and accept persons to volunteer and participate in the services that are offered for the
young at risk in the centers. Building a volunteer movement from among the young who are brought up by the
YaR centre and also from the locality is an important objective of YaR centers.

64. Peer Leadership

Child rights clubs, childrens parliament etc. are expressions of Peer Leadership. The adolescent children who
are served and looked after in the YaR centers are given opportunities for Peer Leadership programmers. The
members are trained in child rights, legal awareness, and citizenship and are given opportunities to involve
themselves in appropriate activities of the YaR Centre.
65. Training in Social Work:
Students from MSW colleges and other institutions are provided training and placement facilities in the YaR
centers. It is n opportunity to support the formation of social work professionals who have genuine concern for
the care and protection of children.

66. Homelink Documentation Software:

The YaR Forum has developed documentation software called Home link. It can be used to document every
aspect of any organization working for marginalized young people.

67. Missing Child Search:

Missing Child Search is a facility that has grown out of HomeLink documentation software which can be used
for tracking, tracing and restoring missing children online in the country.

68. Missing Child Beaurau:

Missing Child Beaurau is a district model for creating data about unaccompanied and marginalized children and
for tracking, tracing and restoring missing children online.

69. Child Safety Net:

Child Safety Net is a society empowerment programmed on behalf of children especially the marginalized
children. Awareness creation on child rights, care and protection of children are important aspect of child safety

29
net. Together with awareness creation and several activities and programmers are carried out for the care and
protection of children.

70. Child Reception Home:

YaR centers act as child reception homes of the state. As part of restoration of children they are received for
care and protection before they are restored to their homes or to more appropriate locations.
71. Child Rescue Ambulance service:
YaR Centers have vehicles specially dedicated for rescuing children who are sick, injured and those who are in
other abusive situations.
72. Childline:
YaR Centers run child line project of the central Government,(a telephone helpline programmed for the children
in distress) as collaborative agencies or nodal agencies. It is an effective tool for serving young at risk.

73. Child Welfare Committee:

CWC is a Juvenile Justice Act body for the care and protection of children in difficult situations. YaR
functionaries serve on this body for the sake of young at risk. YaR centers network with these bodies for the
care and protection marginalized children.

74. Juvenile Justice Board:

Juvenile Justice Board is another body created by the Juvenile Justice Act. It deals with children in conflict with
law. YaR functionaries serve as members on this board to serve the young at risk and the YaR centers also net
work with this body to serve the young at risk.

75. Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU):

Special Juvenile Police Unit is another body constituted by the Juvenile Justice Act. YaR functionaries become
members on this unit to serve the young in difficult situations.
76. State Selection Committee for JJB & CWC:
State Selection Committee for JJB & CWC selects the members of CWC & JJB in a state. YaR functionaries
act as members on this committee and it is an opportunity for effective implementation of Juvenile Justice
System in the state.

77. Juvenile Justice National Desk:

Juvenile Justice National Desk is a national network of hundreds of NGOs that promote the proper
implementation of Juvenile Justice System across the country.

78. NGO Forum:

YaR centers bring together the organizations that work for child care and protection in their neighborhood on
behalf of the marginalized children. Working together is better than working in isolation.

79.YaR centre Advisory Committee:

YaR Centre advisory committee consists of eminent personalities from the locality to examine and evaluate the
activities and plan of the YaR centre. They will also contribute with their suggestions for the better running of
the organization.

80. Co-operators Unit:

Co-operators unit consists of persons who are attracted by Don Boscos system and spirituality of working for
youth and they would share in the mission of the YaR centers for the YaR.

81. Past Pupils Unit:

30
It is an association of persons who were beneficiaries of the YaR centre once upon a time. Now they live on
their own away from the centre.

82. Self Help Groups:

YaR centers initiate SHGs in the slum areas that are situated in the neighborhood of the YaR centre. It is a way
of strengthening the economically backward areas of the society to take care of their children. They will also
participate in the mission of the YaR centre.

83. Caring Community Units:

YaR centres would like to serve the young at risk with the support of the society in which it is located. So
persons in the society are motivated and organized into groups to network with the YaR centre services to serve
the marginalized children in the society. Some of the Caring Community groups are auto rickshaw drivers
group, head load workers group, street vendors group etc.
84. Homelink Network:
There are over 80 partners in Home link Network. One important activity of this network is tracking, tracing
and restoring children. The partners work according to the requirements mentioned in the project. It has a node,
hub, national office set up. Many YaR centers are part of this network.

85. Province YaR Mela:

Don Bosco run YaR centers in India are divided into provinces. Province YaR mela is when a province brings
together the children/young from the YaR centers in its jurisdiction for a get together. The mela consist of
interaction, fun, entertainment, cultural activities and leering programmers.

86. National YaR Day:

The YaR Centers in India celebrate on Nov. 20th as YaR Day. On this day each YaR Centre will organize
programmers in their centre and locality on themes connected with YaR mission with guidance from the
National office of YaR.

87. Advocacy Programmer:

YaR centers take up activities to advocate for the care and protection of marginalized children- RTI, PIL,
Signature campaigns, email campaigns, filing cases on behalf of children in the legal courts etc.

88. Child Rights Campaigns:

YaR centers run child rights campaigns in their cities, towns or localities- street theatre, posters, handbills,
email, sms etc. to create awareness about child rights in the society and to protect the rights of children.
89. Child Rights Centre
Library and other documents on child rights and connected themes, resource persons on child rights and other
themes on children, legal aid training programmers, workshops, seminars etc. on child rights and other related
themes are the some of the features one would find in the child rights centre.

90. Training Salesians for YaR ministry:

A curriculum for training Salesians for effective YaR ministry is designed and the formation commission
implements the training at various stages of formation.

91. Capacity Building and Training of Government Personnel, allied systems and YaR Functionaries:
YaR Centers take up programmes to train Govt.: personnel, allied systems and their own functionaries on the
themes regarding marginalized children, laws, policies child rights etc.

92. Counseling training for the Functionaries:

31
It is important that those who work for marginalized and at risk children must work with a sensitive counseling
attitude. The counseling training run by the YaR centers equip the YaR functionaries with proper skills.

93. Research Programmes:

Issues and themes connected with marginalized children/young are conducted. The results are used for
amendments of the law, formulation of new policies and schemes, awareness creation etc.

94. Documentation Unit:

The YaR centres have their work and information about beneficiaries and organization are documented at their
documentation unit.

95. News Magazines:

YaR centers publish monthly or quarterly or half yearly magazines about their activities and are sent to many as
information sharing and for awareness creation.

96. Website Publishing:

E magazines are prepared by YaR Centers about their programmes and activities and are emailed to many.

97. Annual Report:

The Annual Reports published by the YaR centers contain all the information about their organization,
beneficiaries and their activities during the previous year.

98. Audo Visual Production:

To promote the cause of YaR, audio visual programmes are produced by the YaR centers and are disseminated.

99. Publication:
Books and manuals published by the YaR centers have turned out to be excellent resource on serving the young
at risk effectively.
100. Seminars and workshops:
To promote the cause of marginalized children and young people national or local seminars and workshops are
conducted. It is a way of promoting a child rights attitude in people who have responsibility for children in
society. National seminars and workshops are opportunities for the whole YaR Forum platform to come together
and learn together.

101. YaR Child Policy:

YaR Forum partners work for the care and protection of the young with a definite child policy that is based on
child rights.

YaR Interest Groups

YaR Interest Groups represent the essential dimensions of YaR
Ministry. A need was strongly felt that we at YaR Forum
need to grow more in awareness and depth with regard to
the many dimensions of working with the Young at Risk.
That would help towards achieving the objectives of YaR
Forum.

32
With this purpose in mind different aspects of YaR Mission were listed and persons who have experience and
interest in those aspects opted to study and contribute as groups. Several themes were made into groups with
each theme and group having leaders. The mail expectations from the theme groups were:
1. Introduce and lead discussions on the YaR Interest themes in the YaR Forum Google Groups so that more and
more awareness is created about it in the YaR Fraternity.

2. Prepare well prepared PowerPoint presentations on the themes/dimensions and share them with the YaR
Forum members.

3. Prepare manuals on the themes that would give good useful about the different dimensions. The information
could include all that a YaR center and its personnel need to know about it, the international standards, National
standards, Legal Systems, Policies, the situations regarding that dimension in the country, the national and
international situation on the matter, Practices and models in the YaR centers and other organizations regarding
this dimension, the attitude of YaR regarding that as according to its statutes, child policy etc).

Fr. Steve Rodriguez, Director of Snehalaya, Baroda is the General Coordinator of the YaR Interest groups.
Kindly find below the themes of the Interest Groups and the names of the Group Coordinators.
Group A
Mr. Lourdu Prasad, Group Coordinator.
Nava Jeevan, Vijayawada.
The sub groups are:
Juvenile Justice
Observation and special homes
ICPS
Child Rights
Group B:
Fr. Steve Rodrigues , Group Coordinator,
Snehalaya , Baroda

The sub groups are:

Psycho Social care for YaR
Children / Youth and substance Abuse
Research on YaR related issues
Groups C:
Fr. Ricopar, Group Coordinator
The sub groups are:
Drop out prevention
Childrens club/ Parliament
Caring Communities
Alternative Care

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 Groups D:
Fr. Vincent Xavier, Group coordinator
The Sub Groups are:
Services to young Prisoners
Young Refugees
Migrant Youth/ children in unorganized sectors

YaR Centers in India

34
 YaR and Child line
Salesians of Don Bosco & CHILDLINE Service in India is Indias first 24 hour, toll free, emergency phone
outreach service for children in need of care and protection linking them to long term services for their care
and rehabilitation. Any child and concerned adult can call 1098 and access the CHILDLING service any time of
the day or night.
The service was initiated by Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai in 1996 in partnership NGOs that were
doing welfare services and MTNL. 1998, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (GoI) took that up as
a Project of the Ministry) Presently Ministry of Women and Children Development). 1999, CHILDLINE India
Foundation was registered as a Society and in 2000 as a Trust, with a Governing Body chaired by the Secretary
of concerned Ministry. The other members of the Governing Board are that of Corporate Personnel. No services
providing NGO representatives are in the Governing Body.
The service expanded in partnership with NGOs across the country. There were annual meeting (General
Body?) of the Directors of various Partner Organizations to strategize, plan and execute various child care and
protection related services across the country. At state level, there were linkages with State Government
departments concerned with children welfare. At district level, there were non-hierarchical partnership of
Academic Institutions and service providing Voluntary Organizations. There were also a district level Advisory
Board constituted with the Administrative Head of the District (Collector) as chairperson and various child
welfare / development related departmental heads and CHILDLINE partner organizations heads as members.
They periodically met and evaluated the CHILDLINE services and provided necessary supports.
Generally, an Academic Institute is selected as Nodal Agency to network and facilitate training, advocacy and
awareness creation in the district. A service providing NGO is selected as Collab or call centre to receive the
CHILDLINE 1098 telephone call and extend the emergency service to the child in need and link the child for
long term services. A Support Organization/ sub centres are also selected to extend the services and awareness
in outer areas.
CHILDLINE India Foundation, with its Head Quarter at Mumbai and Regional Offices at Delhi, Calcutta and
Chennai monitor and financially support the local partners for the CHILDLINE services.
In 2009,CHILDLINE became an important component of Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) of the
Ministry of Women and Children Development (GoI). CHILDLINE India Foundation was recognized as the
Mother NGO/ Nodal Agency that would initiate, monitor and report all the Child Protection Services in the
country connected with CHILDLINE.
Consequently, the CHILDLINE India Foundation presents itself as the single authority to determine the
CHILDLINE services vision, mission, scope, components, procedures, protocols status of partners, etc. It has
brought out an M o U that every partner ought to accept and sign, if they want to be part of the CHILDLINE
network and many have already complied with.
Salesians in India have made decodes long services in the areas of child welfare, protection and rehabilitation in
the country helping out lakhs of children at Risk. In the past twelve years as partner of CHILDLINE network,
Don Bosco Institutions contributions are significant in the expansion, growth and acceptance of CHILDLINE
Service across the country.
In the implementation process of the M o U brought out by CIF, there are many difficulties and dissatisfactions
expressed by many partner organizations, especially those organizations who are the direct service providers.
There are many articles and clauses that affect the individuality, autonomy and functioning procedures of the
organizers. Though some of the clauses are acceptable in principle, the enforcement procedures from CIF or its
representatives have adversely affected the network relationship.
No individual organization has Economic, Human, or Legal capacity to raise the issue concerning the M o U
and the related matters. Some organizations heads are indifferent since they are not directly involved in the
services.
35
In this context it is important that Salesians of Don Bosco as one of the major child related service provider in
the country and CHILDLINE partner organization to take initiative in assessing the conditions in the M o U and
the subsequent protocols enforced upon the implementing agency by the Nodal Agency (CIF) and to take
remedial measures (meeting CIF Governing Board, Ministry and NGO networks) to work out healthy
partnership conditions and to sustain the partnership concept in providing services to the children.

Govt Schemes for YaR

Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls
(RGSEAG) Sabla

Short Stay Home For Women and Girls (SSH)

Rashtriya Bal Kosh (National Childrens Fund)

The Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS)

Gender Budgeting Scheme

National Awards For Child Welfare

National Child Awards For Exceptional Achievements

Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award For Service To Children

Balika Samriddhi Yojana (BSY)

Nutrition Programme for Adolescent Girls (NPAG)

Early Childhood Education for 3-6 Age Group Children Under the Programme of Universaliation of Elementary
Education.

Scheme for welfare of Working Children in need of Care and ProtectionKishori Shakti

Yojana (KSY)

Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme For the Children of Working Mothers

Childline Services

UJJAWALA : A Comprehensive Scheme for Prevention of trafficking and Resue, Rehabilitation and Re-
integration of Victims of Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation
Integrated child development services (ICDS)
Midday Meal Scheme
Scheme of Integrated Education for Disabled Children in Kerala
Scheme of Special Incentives to Talented Students/Award to Schools/Ayyankali Talent Search
All India School Education Survey
Apni Beti Apna Dhan
36
Aravanaippu Scheme for girl child in Puducherry
Asvachh Dandha Chhatravritti Yojna
Award of adhoc merit grant (special incentive) to SC students in Puducherry
Award of Pre-matric scholarship to SC students in Puducherry
CBSE Pathyakram Yojna
Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in School
Kanya Saksharata Protsahan Yojna
Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana, KVPY
National Child Labour Projects Scheme
National Family Benefit Scheme
National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS)
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
Scheme for construction and running of Girls Hostel for students of secondary and higher secondary schools
Scheme for Infrastructure Development in Minority Institutes (IDMI)
Scheme of Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS)

Child MISS (Management Information System and Services) is an online comprehensive Child Tracking
System for effective data management, monitoring and reporting, done through the effort of a group of experts
from pertinent fields and end-users. The domain expertise of YaR Forum comes from experience of over a
century right from grassroots level to the international, study and reflection on the factors affecting vulnerable
children in India and their growth and development. Child MISS is an Information Management System and a
Network which contributes to speed, process, structure, knowledge and services for the care, protection and
development of children. It is a web based software tool, to assist both government and non-governmental
organizations to document all their services and follow up in a single window system to enhance their mission
for children at risk more effectively and efficiently. The software solution takes care of the data accuracy
through Biometric Integration.

The ultimate focus of Child MISS is to create a 'Child Safety Net', to say that Child MISS is not a mere
technological intervention or data collection software. It is a vital information of children in difficult
circumstances, which will assist the networking organizations to strengthen the role of advocacy through legal
provisions and law enforcements, review and reform child policy development, offer psychological counseling
to children and parents, and raise the community consciousness and collaboration to create safe environment for
children. Thus Homelink through Network Partners will promote Safety and Protection to Children.
Purpose of Child MISS
Its purpose is to strengthen the Juvenile Justice System by making the child visible and promoting action in the
interest of the child. It is the endeavor of the Child MISS to make the outcome of all actions in relation to the

37
child visible, ensuring that stakeholders play their role and execute their responsibility at all times and that
knowledge about children within the JJ System is available at every level from the micro to macro level.
Child Care System & its Stakeholders
This programme in keen to bring a comprehensive solution to the Child Care involving various stakeholders:-

Monitoring bodies: Government ministries, Government bodies, etc.

Child Care institutions: Children's home, Observations homes, etc.

Legal Institutions: Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), Special Juvenile
Police Unit (SJPU).

Non-Governmental Organizations, Child Care Stakeholders, etc.

Civil Society Participation: Caring Community, Peer Leaders, Social Activities, Volunteers.

YaR Forum has reached the next launching pad of the program, setting in place a new genre of social work.
Child MISS will make a very significant contribution or impact in the areas of Child Tracking System (CTS),
especially those in need of Care and Protection, preventing trafficking of children and in the restoration of those
missing, setting in place an adequate monitoring system for delivery of services, and most significantly, setting
in place a COMMUNCATION BASED TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM, which is networked throughout the nation.

Homelink Network System (HLK)

YaR Forum India Forum India
Home Link/Missing Children Search Network
PalamGaon (Near JaatChaupal)
New Delhi 110045 INDIA
Phone:+911125081014
Mail: YaR Forum [email protected]

Purpose: To help find the missing children, the Network Partners use the other

website: www.missingchildserach.net. Created in association with UNICEF, the site has become a real boon for
parents and organizations interested in locating/restoring missing children.
Homelink Network System (HLK) is on the World Wide Web and proprietary software to capture the
information of children at risk across India to assist and restore them to the safety of a Home. The YaR Forum
has two web-related services for the young at risk: www.homelink.in and www.missingchildsearch.netand they
are executed through 277 Homelink Network Partners. These Network Partners are NGOs, Govt. Homes
hosting children, Police, CWC, etc. spread out in 15 States & UTs of India.

Homelink is a web based service maintained by Don Bosco YaR Forum to facilitate their work for the young at
risk, enabling them to maintain and share up to date information on child related issues, across the country. The
system generates instant reports based on child profile, missing children, staff centre, sub-centre, and various
analyses of reports at local and national level. It is a software tool for documentation .
38
The moment a centre gets details of a missing child, it is placed on the website. The site immediately generates
a search in local and national database, which has the registered Missing Children Complaints. Homelink
Network Partners at various locations in the country are alerted and they swing into action for locating or
restoring the child. Families and agencies get in touch with Homelink Centres either in person or online and
sometimes missing children are located within hours.

ABOUT :
Missingchildsearch.net is a platform for like-minded organizations and individuals who will strive to uphold our
vision and mission and uphold the values enshrined therein. It will act as an open spaced and a forum. As an
open space YaR Forum India will provide space for the coming together of the young people who are at risk
themselves and those working with them and others who are interested in the issues that concern the Young at
Risk.

childmiss.org / childmiss.in / childmiss.net and missingchildsearch.net is a platform for YAR FORUM INDIA"
- the Young at Risk" - for all young people, children, adolescents and youth who are forced into risk situations,
who have taken on the challenges of the risks they face in life such as

The Orphan The run away child

The out of school child The differently abled
The young refugee The young in conflict with law
The young addicted to drugs or alcohol Child victims of exploitation and abuse
Young victims of war, conflict, natural calamities, disasters, HIV/AIDS, sexual exploitation and
trafficking.
Childmiss.org and missingchildsearch.net is a platform for all people who work with the young at risk. It is
initiated by DBSAF-YAR FORUM INDIA[Don Bosco South Asia Forum for the Young at Risk] The initiator is
registered in India, as DBNF YAR FORUM INDIA [Don Bosco National Forum for the Young at Risk] with
the office at YAR FORUM INDIA The Young At Risk

YaR Forum India Forum India

Caring Community Network

Caring Community Network is a network of YaR Centres with the aim to transform themselves into Society-
supported / Community-based movements on behalf of the young at risk. Increasing number of incidences of
crime against children and the experiences of YaR forum in working with children are the inspiring factors that
led to the implementation of the Caring Community Project to build a community which cares for its children
especially those who are in deplorable and vulnerable situation. The experiences of YaR forum is that we need
to move more into networking with the community and empowering it rather than working in isolation. It is our
YaR Forum experience that the interventions have been more effective and transformative wherever YaR carried
them out in close collaboration with the community. Our learning is that we need to move more into this mode
networking with the community and empowering it rather than working in isolation. In this way society
39
 owns its responsibility for reaching out to and caring for its at-risk young
people. This is the concept behind Caring Communities.
Caring Community project is being carried out in ten YaR Center in the
country. The caring communities are working to make the
community/society to care for the children and the young at risk and the
caring communities centers are trying to achieve this goal through
collaboration and working with civil society groups, children's clubs, youth
volunteering groups, collaboration with government and allied systems,
networking with NGOs, promoting alternative forms of care for the young at
risk etc,. The project is being successfully carried out in all the ten centers by
implanting the spirit of caring community in the YaR centers and in their
initiatives.

Juvenile Justice National Desk (JJND)

Juvenile Justice National Desk (JJND) Mission is to facilitate an inclusive, democratic and result-oriented
forum to catalyze sustainable, collaborative, and competent response in terms of Policy, Law and Practice under
the purview of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Act 2006, through Juvenile
Justice Communities of Practice (JJ CoP). JJND, launched of late, strives to
facilitate exchange of news and information, knowledge sharing, mutual
learning and support, and interaction among the JJ professionals and
practitioners. This process, sustained and fostered, aspires to forge a united
forum of JJ professionals, activists and practitioners that may be a force to
reckon with to act collectively on common issues and influence
policy/legislative reforms or changes to advocate the best interests of children
in need of care and protection and those in conflict with the law. The making
of JJND and its progression will be driven by the feed-back from,
participation, guidance and expectations of all JJND partners, associates and
friends.

Rapid Assessment Survey

RAPID ASSESSMENT OF STREET CHILDREN IN 13 YAR CENTRES IN INDIA
A national research initiative by Don Bosco National Forum for the Young at Risk

The Don Bosco National Forum for Young at Risk is in the process of launching a new research initiative on a
national level and aims at bringing forth cuttingedge research findings that would eventually result in
influencing special provision in national policy and programmes for children and youth. Setting the plan in
motion, an introductory study of rapid assessment of street children was embarked upon because of the
contemporary relevance and persisting perplexity regarding the street children. Research on street children have
been on records focusing on Issues such as child labour, violence and crime on children, drug abuse, trafficking
and health issues such as HIV/AIDS. However, there are no official figures regarding the current status of street
children, magnitude of street children across different states, demographic features and the needs of street
children in India. Such gap in knowledge will have adverse impact on the planning and budget allocation for
care and protection of the needy children and continued deficiency in services towards them.
At this back drop, a systematic approach to enumerate the street children and assessing their needs and concerns
would significantly contribute to the body of knowledge on street children and could help in planning and

40
implementing a well coordinated programme to meet the needs of street children and respect their rights on a
national level. Acquiring a new face for YaR centres for advocacy in the light of the study, a consultative status
for DBRC in the ministerial level for policy making and to affect policies for children and budget allocation by
Govts are other major expected
outcome of the study.
Hence the Don Bosco National YaR Forum
for Young at Risk have come to a consensus
that a rapid assessment of street
children be implemented in 13 YaR centres in India and
accordingly Don Bosco Research Centre Mumbai was
officially given the responsibility to plan the entire
study including research design, field study, analysis
of data, report writing and dissemination.
Accordingly, at the initial phase, identifying the hot spots of street
children in different places in Mumbai was carried out i.e., railway stations, signals, flyovers, under bridges,
religious premises (churches, temples, masjids, gurudwaras), markets, bus depots, dumping grounds and durgas.
Such spots would be replicated in other YAR centres
A pre-testing of the study tool, i.e, the interview schedule was done at selected places and hot spots in Mumbai
for two days in July, 2012 and on the basis of findings, field observations and field experiences of the staff,
certain modifications were made to administer the tool for data rich and accurate field information from the
streets of Mumbai during the final data collection. Given below is the plan of action in the month of August and
September, 2012 for field study in five YaR cities Mumbai, Delhi, Guwahati, Kolkotta and Bangalore. Studies
in other remaining YaR centres will be followed after this.
Phase 2
Familiarizing with the tool
The tool will be made familiar to the YaR coordinators and local team other than Mumbai initially through
skype by the national research co-coordinator of DBRC, Mumbai
Phase 3.
Training for the field investigators
Training is a prerequisite and essential before the staff are sent out to the field. Since the data collection requires
substantial manpower apart from available staff of all YaR centres, other personnel like volunteers and students
from local educational institutions such as colleges, social work students, management students, or similar
resources will need to be involved.
Phase 4.
Data collection from the Field need to commence soon after the training sessions at Yar centres in September,
2012. In Mumbai the data collection will start from 30th July to 10th August
Phase 5
Collect information from local RTI regarding the number of NGOs running childrens homes in the city with
total number of inmates and gender wise data ( number of males and females
Phase 6
Local city NGOs for street children, street childrens homes, shelter homes (not listed in RTI list) need to be
contacted to get information such as total number of street children, male and female children, category of
services (whether shelter, drop in, day care etc..). The information format will be provided to the YaR centres by
DBRC. For NGO information, YaR office staff or research staff (other than who are field investigators) can do

41
the correspondence electronically and send the format to the NGOs to fill the same and return to the respective
YaR centres.
Phase 7
In each YaR city, a few childrens homes can be selected and the concerned person in charge can be interviewed
to get their views on issues of street children of their organizations and their concerns. Focus group discussion
with 6-8 children from the selected NGOs will able to record the childrens point of view, their needs and
expectations.
Phase 8
Data entry, analysis, report writing and dissemination and publicity

Children and Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse and Drug Addiction among children
Introduction
Substance use in children and adolescents is increasing but prevention
and treatment of child/adolescent substance use has not received
adequate attention. Substance use often gets initiated in adolescence
with use or licit substances such as tobacco and alcohol. Adolescence is a
critical phase of development as it lays the foundation for development of
life skills, social, vocational and emotional development later in life. Some
amount of experimentation at this age does occur and most adolescents who experiment at this stage do not
develop Substance Use Disorder. At the same time, any use in adolescence deserves attention. Alcohol and drug
use is a leading cause of physical problems and death in adolescents due to motor vehicle accidents, suicidal
behavior, violence, unprotected sexual activity, unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
The prevalence of current drug use in children/adolescents is 21.4% for alcohol, 3% for cannabis and 0.1% for
opiates as per the National Household Survey (Ray, 2004). As per the Global Youth Tobacco Survey which
collected data from 12000 students from 180 schools, the prevalence of tobacco use is 14.6% with use in boys
being about three times that of girls. The data also showed that awareness and negative perception about
tobacco is increasing but the prevalence, accessibility and use inside schools is also rising (Gajalakshmi, 2009).
There are very few school based studies that have examined the use of other substances besides tobacco. One
school based study from West Bengal has shown that lifetime use of alcohol was 7.4% in rural and 5% in urban
school students.Another school based study from Manipur with a sample of more than 1000 students showed
last one year use was 27% for tobacco, 15% for alcohol, 7% for cannabis and 4% for solvents (Ningombam,
2011). Factors associated with substance use in these schools based surveys were substance use in family/peers,
peer pressure and psychological factors. The studies also showed that substance use occurred despite knowledge
about harm related to substances.
As per the data on treatment seekers from the Drug Abuse Monitoring SYSTEM (Ray. 2004) most persons who
sought treatment at the drug dependence treatment centres initiated drug use during adolescence (9-10% at less
than 15 years of age and 25-32% at 16-20 years of age). However only 5 percent of treatment seekers are
adolescents suggesting that most persons seek treatment after a few years of onset of drug use after they have
already stepped into adulthood.
The data from NGOs that provide services to vulnerable children and Nehru Yuvak Kendra showed that the age
of onset in vulnerable children was much lower (63.6% of substance using children who access services had age
of onset less than 15 years of age and 27.7% had age of onset at 16-20 years of age). The data from NGOs that
provide services to these children showed that of substance using children, injecting drug use occurred in 14-

42
20%, sharing of needles in 7-15%, sex with multiple partners in 5-19%, arrest by police in 19-34% and family
violence related to drug use in more than 50%.
Drug use is an alarming problem in street children and occurs in 70-85% street children compared to a much
smaller percentage in non-street children. The previous study on situation assessment (Ray et al, 2009) found
that drug use in street children was associated with greater unsupervised exposure to street life, less education,
better employment, poorer hygiene, more exposure to unsafe situations, fights, less contact with NGOs, more
drug using friends, more income but not saving money with family and increased access to recreational pursuits.
Thus, although a few small scale studies have examined the issue of drug use in children, overall there is
insufficient data on pattern of drug use in children/adolescents, profile of drug using children/adolescents and
also the correlates of drug use.
AIM
1. To collection data on pattern of substance use and profile of children using substances
2. To collect data on family, peer, stress, psychological and physical health and legal aspects associated with
drug use
METHODOLOGY
This is a cross-sectional study that involves collection of data by NGOs working in the area of substance use
and NGOs that are working with street children. So, the study will have two distinct kinds of organizations
collecting data and the target population for both the organizations will also be different. The NGOs that are
working with street children will collect data on street children only while NGOs that are working in the area of
substance use will collect data from school going and out of school children who are not street children.
Sample.
A. The inclusion and exclusion criteria for the study is as follows-
1) Inclusion Criteria
a) Age group 18 years or less
b) Children/adolescents who have used at least one other substance besides tobacco (alcohol, inhalants,
cannabis, opiates, sedatives or any other substance) in last one year
c) Children who are being admitted in an institutional setting may be included only at the time of admission or
within a period of 1 week after admission. For children admitted in institutional settings, the time frame for the
questions refers to the period just prior to admission.
d) Informed written consent taken from the child or adolescent and the parent or NGO staff counselor (as a
surrogate guardian, in case the parents are not available)

2) Exclusion Criteria
a) Use of tobacco only in last one year
b) Not willing to be included in the study
c) Unable to provide information
These children or adolescents may be studying in school or they may be school dropouts or may have never
gone to school; they may be living with families or living alone; they may be living at home or may be street
children or may be having some other living arrangements.
Children who are being admitted in an institutional setting may be included at the time of admission or within a
period of 1 week. There is no lower age limit for inclusion in this study.
B. Identification of the sample
The children will be identified from the following settings-
a) NGOs who are working in the area of substance abuse could take children or adolescents from-

43
 Their own or other drug treatment centres
Using snowballing to contact children in the community (getting children or adolescents with the help of other
children or adolescents who come to them)
Children of adult substance users who come to them for treatment
Through awareness programmes/information in schools/community/recreational areas/Nehru Yuvak
Kendras/youth organizations
From slums/places where child labour takes place
Shops from where purchase of substances occurs
They should not visit schools to get children directly from within the school setting although they can organize
awareness activities in schools and inform them about availability of services in the NGO, thus encouraging
them to come to the NGO for help. They should also not collect data on street children as this data will be
collected separately by NGOs working with street children. So, they should not approach NGOs working with
street children and also should not approach the street children directly in the community or in Juvenile
justice/children homes to collect data from there.
b) NGOs who provide services to street children should take children or adolescents who access their
services based on the inclusion criteria mentioned earlier or could include street children from the
community.
Definition of street children for the purpose of this study Children who spend lot of time on the streets largely
unsupervised by adults and includes children who sleep on the streets or live at home, irrespective of whether
they are in contact with their families or not.
C. Sample size
Data on 30 children will be collected by each NGO. Each organization should fill the questionnaire for the first
30 children/adolescents who they screen and who fulfill the criteria based on the inclusion and exclusion
criteria. A total of more than 100 NGOs will collect the data. A list of the NGO (142 NGO) who will be
collecting the data is attached as Annexure 1. So, the total sample will be approximately 4000 children. This
will include data from 46 NGOs working with street children and 96 NGO working in the field of substance
use. The data will be collected from 30 states and from approximately 100 cities/towns of the country.
Instrument
The questionnaire has 67 items and the following sections-1) Demographic factor 2) Family and peer related
factors 3) Stress, physical and psychological health 4) Substance Use 5) Legal issues
It was developed after modification of a questionnaire that was developed for the study on Inhalant use among
street children in Delhi and Bangalore-A Situation Assessment funded by WHO (India) (Ray et al, 2009). The
questionnaire has been modified to include school going and out of school children who are not living on the
streets besides street children. It was shared with the Working Group on Substance Abuse & Drug Addiction
among Children. The modifications suggested by the group were incorporated. The questionnaire was field
tested by administering to children and based on the feedback, further modifications were made.
The following are the characteristics of the questionnaire-
1. The questionnaire provides adequate information to enable us to get a comprehensive picture of demographic
and substance use profile of the individual.
2. The questionnaire is brief and concise to enable the interviewer to complete the interview within a reasonable
period of time (50 to 60 minutes).
3. Since target population is expected to be a mixed one with respect to literacy levels, an interviewer-
administered questionnaire was regarded more appropriate rather than a self-administered one.
4. The language and format of the questionnaire has been kept simple, considering the expected level of
expertise of the interviewers.
5. Most of the variables in the questionnaire, in strict statistical terms, are categorical in nature. Following
analysis, it will be possible to comment upon frequency of a variable in the sample.
44
6. All the questions are pre-coded, minimizing the need for the interviewer to note down a response. This will
also make the task of data entry and subsequent analysis easier. At selected places however, there is provision
for nothing the response of the subject as well.
7. The questionnaire itself serves as an instruction manual describing the individual questions and defining the
possible responses.
The questionnaire will be translated to the local language and back translated to English. The English version
after back translation will be compared to the original English version. If any item seems to suggest that the
content has been modified, then the translation in the local language may be modified.
Administration of the questionnaire

The questionnaire will be administered by the staff of the NGOs who will be graduates or post graduates with
some experience of working in the field. The staff will be paid an honorarium for collecting the data.

Procedure
1. This study will involve data collection by more than 100NGOs who will be trained and monitored by about
15 monitoring NGOs. The tasks assigned to the monitoring NGOs include the following-
a) Translation of the questionnaire to the local language as per procedure mentioned earlier in instrument
b) Data entry
c) Monitoring of data
d) Training of the staff of NGO

2. The monitoring NGOs were selected based on the following criteria-

a) RRTC/NGOs who have been involved in training activities/have capacity to conduct training and have a good
track record
b) Willingness of the NGO to participate as a trainer and to conduct further training activities
An effort has been made to get representation from all regions of the country.
3. Training of trainers programme

A five day training programme for 19 participants from more than 15 organizations was held. This programme
was funded by NISD, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Most of these organizations were working
in the area of substance use and two organizations were working with children in need of care and protection.

The agenda for the training of trainers programme will include the following-

a) Presentation on overview of drugs of abuse, substance use in children and street children
b) Familiarization with the questionnaire
c) Role plays to practice the questionnaire
d) Discus the guideline for filling the questionnaire
e) Pilot testing the questionnaire in the field
4. Training by trainers programme
The 142 NGOs who will collect the data will be trained by the trainers based on a similar pattern as the training
of trainers that was conducted. The training will be of two days duration and will include

a) Presentation on overview of drugs of abuse, substance use in children and street children
b) Familiarization with the questionnaire
c) Role plays to practice the questionnaire
d) Discuss the guidelines for filling the questionnaire
e) Field visits to practice filling the questionnaire
Eight such training by trainers programmes will be held, four in each region of the country. The monitoring
NGOs will support each other to conduct the training programmes and efforts will be made so that at least one
45
person from the expert group can join.
5. Each organization should fill the questionnaire for the first 30 children/adolescents who they screen and who
fulfill the criteria based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The questionnaire can be filled either in the
NGO or community setting. The guidelines for filling the questionnaire include the following-

a) Rapport building with the child is important before filling up the questionnaire and may take some time. The
help of the NGO personnel who the child is familiar with can be taken four building rapport.
b) Written informed consent form has to be signed by the child and also by the parent/guardian
c) Ensure that the child has understood each question. Rephrase the question if required without changing its
meaning.
d) Adequate time should be given to the child to give responses to the items on the questionnaire.
e) Ensure as much privacy as possible when administering the questionnaire to the child
f) Confidentiality has to be respected. This means that once the questionnaire is filled up for the child, the
information in the questionnaire should not be shared with the parent or guardian although the child can be
encouraged to seek help, if required.
g) Non-judgmental-The attitude of the person who is filling up the questionnaire has to be non-judgmental
Monitoring of the data
The monitoring of data entry has to be done by the monitoring NGO. Data from 10%of the NGOs will be
checked for its reliability. Efforts will be made so that one person from the expert group can join for some of
these monitoring exercised.

Data analysis

1. All the questions are pre-coded, minimizing the need for the interviewer to note down a response. At selected
places however, there is provision for noting the response of the subject as well. The data entry has to be done
as per the format for data entry that will be provided by AIIMS on excel sheet to the monitoring NGOs. The
qualitative data analysis will be done by the monitoring NGOs by extraction of themes.
2. Most of the variables in the questionnaire are categorical in nature. Following analysis, it will be possible to
comment upon frequency of a variable in the sample.

Ethical issues

A written informed consent will be taken for filling the questionnaire from the child and a parent/guardian.

The composition of the Working Group will be as follows:

S. No. Name & Address Designation

1. Shri Vinod Kumar TikooMember Chairperson

National Commission For Protection of Child Rights
New Delhi.

2. Dr. Dinesh LaroiaMember Member

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights
New Delhi.
3. Dr. Bharti Sharma, Ex-Chairperson, Child Member
WelfareCommittee &Convener
Delhi Committee for Protection of Children & Preventive
Action, Gurgaon, Haryana

46
 Shri. Anant K. AsthanaLegal Aid Counsel Member
4. Juvenile Justice Board-3
Kingsway Camp, Delhi.
5. Dr. Jayant KumarDirector, Galaxy Club & Head of RRTCs Member
Imphal
6. Dr. Anju Dhawan, M.D.Additional Professor Member
National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre and
Department of Psychiatry
7. Dr. Shubhangi R> PARKAR DPM MD MSc Member
PhDProfessor and Head
Department of Psychiatry
Chief: Bombay Drug Deaddiction Center, Bombay.
8. Mr. Debashis MukherjeeResearch Officer Member
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime,
New Delhi
Dr. Shekhar SheshadriProfessor Member
9. Department of Child Psychiatry
NIMHANS, Bangalore.
10. Ms Kiran JyotiDirector, Salaam Baalak Trust Member
New Delhi.
11. Dr. RajeshExecutive Director Member
Society for Promotion of Youth & Masses (SPYM),
New Delhi
12. Fr. Mathew Thomas SDBSecretary & Executive Director Member
YaR FORUM INDIA
Don Bosco National Forum for the Young at Risk (YaR)
New Delhi
13. Dr. Mrs. ZoengpariGeneral Secretary Member
Volunteers for Community Mental Health (VOLCOMH)
2ND Floor, Central Y.M.A. Building
Sikulpuikawn, Aizawl-796001, Mizoram
14. Mr. Sunil KumarDeputy Director, NISD, Min. of SJ&E, Member
GOI
R K Puram, New Delhi
15. Shri Sanjay GuptaExecutive Director MemberCo-
Childhood Enhancement Through Action & Training Convenor
(CHETNA),New Delhi
16. Shri Lov VermaMember Secretary Convener
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights
New Delhi

FEW NGOS WORKING TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT FOR

CHILDRENS

47
Legal Status Of Shelter Don Bosco
Name of Organization: Shelter Don Bosco
Parent Body: The Bombay Salesian Society
Contact Person: The Director
Postal address: Opp. St. Joseph High School, Wadala,
Mumbai- 400031, Maharashtra, India.
Telephone No.: (0091-22) 24150562
Fax No:
Shelter Don Bosco is registered under the following:
- With Charity Commissioner
- Society Registration
- 80G
- F.C.R.A.
- PAN
- TAN
Donations: Are exempted from tax under Indian 80G(5) of IT Act 1961 .
Bank: Corporation Bank
Address: Katrak Road, Wadala, Bombay 400 031, Maharashtra, India.

OUR OBJECTIVE
To reach out to the unreached rootless roofless children.

To empower them by imparting education, skill training and holistic personality development
programmers.

To assist them in integrating into the larger society and settling down with dignity and independence.

To strive to protect and promote the rights of children.

To work towards creating a just society by sensitizing the larger Society and making them aware of the
situation and dynamics of children and youth living in difficult situations especially on streets through
various programmers.

What is Shelter Don Bosco?

Shelter Don Bosco is a Non-Governmental Organization working with the Roofless and Rootless STREET
CHILDREN of the city of Mumbai since 1987. Initiated by the Salesian Society in the Province of Mumbai,
Shelter Don Bosco is a part of the Don Bosco family of institutions that work with and for youth, especially the
emarginated ones. Over the past years Shelter Don Bosco has responded to the growing needs and demands of
48
our young friends in various ways, each of which has led to several different projects that seek to
empower the marginalized child. This web site is dedicated to the unsung Heroes living on
the streets of Mumbai. We welcome you to be a part of this journey of LOVE.
History of Shelter Don Bosco
In1986, the Salesian Society in Mumbai, in
preparation for Don Boscos death centenary
celebrations decided to trace their apostolate back to their
roots in Don Boscos work. The situation of the children on the streets of Mumbai
was similar to that of the Turin of Don Boscos time, where many of the rural and
urban poor, especially the children flocked to Mumbai city seeking work and a
better life but were subject to exploitation, neglect, poverty and deprivation.
As the Salesian Society (founded by Don Bosco, consisting of priests, brothers and
sisters, volunteers, benefactors and the past pupils) decided to respond to this need, Shelter Don Bosco was
conceived in the year 1987. Rev Fr. Bosco Pereira and Rev Fr. Raphael Lobo, who initiated the establishment of
this institution, spent the first year surveying the area and studying their situations, visiting other institutions and
Non Governmental Organizations working with these children to learn more about their problem.
The priests at Shelter Don Bosco then conducted an informal study on the
needs of the children which was presented to them in the form of a big
'Mela', a celebration or gathering. Thus in 1988, in a grand Mela or a
gathering of 3000 street children was organized on the grounds of Don
Bosco High School, Matunga. While varied entertainment was organized
for them, several dignitaries holding important government posts,
ministers and other famous sportspersons were invited to interact with these
children. The experience was a unique one for the street children who
asked for a similar Mela every month. Following this study, SHELTER DON BOSCO (to be called Shelter in
future) was started as an open house for the roofless, rootless street children of Mumbai wherein any child or
young person living on the street could walk in to seek help for their small needs and move back onto the
streets.
Gradually a few of them started spending their nights at the Shelter. Thus a small group used it as a night shelter
and some remained there all through the day. During the day, they moved to their behind-the-scenes wedding
work, scrap picking or shoe shining and in the nights they returned to the Shelter. Simultaneously the monthly
Mela which was held on the 19th and 20th of every month still carried on at the Shelter. The street contact
program, which meant visiting the children living on the streets, was also maintained. These three programs
continued to operate until 1995.
1995 - 1998 was the period when the project at Shelter Don Bosco was reviewed and it was observed that the
boys residing at Shelter on a daily basis had increased to almost a hundred. A majority of these boys were
between 14 to 24 years of age, most of whom were engaged in some work, which earned them enough to cover
their daily expenses on food, clothing and other requirements. Most of them worked in the unorganized sector,
helping in the wedding work called ' WADI ' and earned around 80 Rupees, when there was work, which was
seasonal in nature. When there was no work most of them engaged themselves in scrap picking and temporary
casual labor jobs.

49
These boys had minimal savings and erratic incomes. The vices which they had picked up on the streets such as
substance abuse (smoking tobacco, charas, ganja, chewing tobacco, consuming alcohol), visiting commercial
sex workers / prostitutes, gambling, watching movies, etc. filled whatever leisure time they had.
A significant point of observation was that most of boys who took advantage of the residential facilities were
above 14 yrs. of age. Secondly, though some of the boys intended to learn a trade, they found it difficult to adapt
to a regular training schedule or taking up a regular job. Also the employers were reluctant to train older boys.
After reviewing the situation it was decided to admit boys below the age of 14 so that they could stay on at the
Shelter for a longer period during which skill training alternatives could be identified for them. Thus by the age
of 18 yrs a majority of them would acquire education or skills to enable them to be independent and self-reliant.
With this idea, in 1995, a conscious effort was made to
concentrate on boys below 14 years, while those who were
already residing in Shelter were allowed to remain and go
through their individual process of settlement.
Interestingly, within a year the ratio of the younger children
increased dramatically. By 1996,there were over 70 younger boys
most of whom were too young for skill training. Through
regular non-formal education sessions, their interest in formal
education was ascertained and on an experimental basis, four of the
boys were sent to the nearby government school. This proved to be a huge success and was followed by many
groups of boys, who opted to attend regular government schools. The numbers thus increased from 4 to the
present 70+.
In the year 1996, as focus shifted with the younger children being enrolled in schools and the older boys went
for non formal skill training, those who did not fit into either group continued to carry on rag picking and Wadi
work. A 3-day camp was held with boys in the age range of 14 to 18 years to reflect and seek alternatives to the
Wadi and rag picking by learning trades like cycle repairing, motor winding, tailoring and so on. At this stage
Shelter took a stand by assuring the boys of taking on the responsibility of maintaining them and their expenses
on food, clothing and shelter in the course of their training if they chose to opt out of the Wadi and scrap picking
to start formal training.
Thus members of this camp opted to join the training group.
Aims and Objectives
1. To reach out to the unreached rootless roofless children.
2. To empower them by imparting education, skill training and holistic personality development programs.
3. To assist them in integrating into the larger society and settling down with dignity and independence.
4. To strive to protect and promote the rights of children.
5. To work towards creating a just society by sensitizing the larger Society and making them aware of the
situation and dynamics of children and youth living in difficult situations especially on streets through various
programs.

50
 Address:

DON BOSCO BALPRAFULTA

Off. Mahakali Caves Road,Opp. Tolani College, Andheri (East)
Mumbai - 400 093.
Tel: 022- 28255889 / 28265618
1. Director: Fr. Gregory Almeida, sdb - [email protected]

2. Assistant Director: Sister Jacinta Pinto - [email protected]

3. Project Co-ordinator - Project Talaash: Saloni Shah -

4. Project Co-ordinator - Project Umeed: Venisa D'mello - [email protected]

5. Project Co-ordinator - Project Saksham: Vatsla Prasad - - [email protected]

6. Project Consultant - Poonam Suryavanshi

7. Project Supervisor:

Shashikala Kale - Project Talaash

8. Field Officers:

Mahendra Jadhav - Talaash Project

Vijay Jaiswal - Talaash Project

Sadhana Singh - Talaash Project

Sanjivani Kamble - Talaash Project

Albert Bhandare - Talaash Project

Ganesh Sutle - Saksham Project

51
 Monali Kadam - Saksham Project

Reshmi Magdum - Saksham Project

9. Administration: Vanita D' Souza - [email protected]

Our Partners

1. Railway Children

2. Terre Des Homes (TDH)

3. St. Mary's College Of California

4. Quantas Cabin Crew Team, Quantas Helping Hands, Fondazione, Luca Fossatti, Daniele And
Kindermission Work

Our Mission
Vision:
Our vision is to promote child rights through care, protection, treatment and opportunities for the development
of children in all walks of life, especially the socio- economic and politically disadvantaged.
Mission:
Don Bosco Balprafulta's mission is to work for children who need care and protection along with related
support mechanisms based on the values of social justice, transparency, secularism and equity. It focuses on
issues of safe childhood and effective parenting, by adopting a scientific approach in all its interventions. It
promotes capacity building of all its stakeholders, undertake advocacy and lobbying at the appropriate level,
through networking and alliance building with the active participation of children and society at large.
1. Prevention: Prevent children from losing out on their family and community; from getting into
vulnerable situations or falling prey to vices due to dysfunctional families.

2. Participation: Active participation of all children in activities and processes conducted on behalf of the
children.

3. Education: To enable every child to enjoy and complete his/her education for a brighter future.

4. Family: Supporting the family through various inclusion initiatives and preventing the children from
returning to child labour situations.

5. Recreation: To bring about a healthy environment for good physical and psychological growth, to
ensure that every child has the right to enjoy his/her childhood.

52
 OUR DIRECTORS

Rev. Fr. Barnabe D'Souza, sdb Rev. Fr. Gregory Almeida, sdb
Rev. Fr. Barnabe D'souza sdb, International Rev. Fr. Gregory Almeida sdb, Director of Don Bosco
director of Don Bosco Balprafulta, holds a PhD in BalPrafulta, holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology,
Social Work , a Masters Degree in Social Work Philosophy and Theology. He has a wide experience of
and Bachelor's Degrees in Philosophy, Arts and working with the tribal youth of Chhotaudepur district,
Theology. His extensive experience with street Gujarat. He has also worked in the development field
children spans almost 3 decades. by forming various "Self Help Groups" (SHG) for men
and women and also in promoting income generation
Presently, he is the Deputy Secretary General of activities. He has been the pioneer of "Roshni" project
The International Federation of Catholic in Vadodara, Gujarat that helps in educating the slum
Universities (IFCU) in Paris. we congratulate him children towards English medium school. He has also
for his new assignment as deputy secretary been the pioneer of DRISTI (DON BOSCO RURAL
general. INTEGRAL SOCIAL TRAINING INSTITUTE) in
Kapadvanj, Gujarat working for the formation and
training of Women SHG's. Earlier, he has worked for
the street and slum children in Pune city.

53
 He is the Director of Shelter Don Bosco, Wadala and
Don Bosco Research Centre, Matunga as well.

Our History
Don Bosco Balprafulta is a Salesian response to the desperate situation of marginalized children in the city of
Mumbai. Involved with promoting Child Rights since 2000, Don Bosco Balprafulta focuses upon enabling
children to procure their rights through state and civil participation.
Although 'The Shelter' and 'Bosco Boys' Home catered to several hundred youngsters, the city of Mumbai still
had a very large number of youngsters in need of care and protection. It was felt that setting up an institution
would always limit the number of deprived children that could be helped. So the question arose why not go to
the streets instead of bringing children into the institution? Why not go into places where children are neglected
and exploited, use the mechanisms of the state, and thus reach out to a larger group of children? Thus the idea of
Don Bosco Balprafulta started taking shape. In the year 2000, Fr. Godfrey D'sa, a member of the Don Bosco
Society developed the idea further with the help of Fr. Adolph Furtado and a few other collaborators. The idea
was to give momentum to the concept of 'child rights' to develop a unique approach which incorporated the
developmental approach' along with a 'rights based approach'. The focus remained on marginalized, exploited,
vulnerable children but for the first time, an attempt was made to deal with them using a non institutional
approach.
The organization carried forward its work with the Helpline for children. In April 2000, the 24 hour Childline
service for children in distress was set up at Don Bosco Balprafulta. It covered an area from Bandra to
Bhayander in Mumbai. Immediate action was taken on receiving distress calls from children. After years of
working with Childline, Don Bosco Balprafulta moved on to other projects in December 2007. The Don Bosco
Balprafulta - Childline experience served to bring the organization into direct contact with children.
Within two years of its association with Child line, Don Bosco Balprafulta saw that many children went
missing. Here began the program of tracing children or Talaash in 2002. A number of cases of runaway children
were brought to the notice of the organization, which then decided to start the Talaash project at railway
terminals.
Along with the work at the railway station, Don Bosco Balprafulta started its work with the children in
communities. The idea was to start an initiative that worked on the preventive aspect. We believed that by
working in communities with families and children, the violation of child rights could be prevented.
In 2004, Rihaee started from the experiences of Talaash and the community initiative. The organisation came
across a number of children working for a living. They were child labourers. This phenomenon was widespread
in Mumbai. The organization then decided that rescuing children from exploitative situations was the need of
the hour. Over the years, Don Bosco Balprafulta has carried out several rescue operations and rescued thousands
of children from exploitative situations.
Today Don Bosco Balprafulta has emerged as a leading child rights organization looking at the holistic
development of children. It reaches out to a vast section of children through various programs and initiatives.
Today Don Bosco Balprafulta has emerged as a leading child rights organization looking at the holistic
development of children. It reaches out to a vast section of children through various programs and initiatives.

Research -DON BOSCO BALPRAFULTA

Savings Behavior of Vulnerable Families in Mumbai
Statement of the problem
The family is an integral part of any post repatriation programmer. For this, it is important that there should be

54
definite plans to work with families of children repatriated to their families from the Children's Home.
Continuous follow-up visits with families help in understanding the circumstances that may have "pushed" the
child on to the streets. In most cases, poor financial status of the
family compels the child to take to the streets, seeking
alternative measures of survival. Often the families are from
the lower income groups with little or no means to support the
child. These families either are completely dependent on their
children's income for survival or expect their children to fend
for themselves. Thus, understanding the economic
conditions of these families is vital to prevent relapse.
In a recent Rapid Assessment Survey of street children carried
out in 2013 by the Don Bosco Research Centre in 16 Indian cities,
the data showed an increasing trend of slum spill on streets. Analysis indicated that in Mumbai, a large
percentage of such children came from the slums in Govandi. They took to the streets and railway platforms for
their survival due to poor economic conditions at home. Thus, these children and the families living in this area
were identified as families who needed preventive strategies for slum spill through financial inclusion.
Objectives
The aim of the study is to understand saving behaviour of families of repatriated children from different areas in
Mumbai and families of children at risk in Govandi. Specific objectives are as follows:
To understand the sources of income, expenditure and savings patterns of these families

To understand the outlook of these families towards financial inclusion

To understand the economic behaviour and challenges in savings among these families

Study Design
Sampling Procedure: This study was conducted in order to find the gaps in savings behaviour of the families
and to support them for financial inclusion. These were families of children who had been repatriated from
Dongri Children's Home by Don Bosco Balprafulta (refer to the location of the study to trace the location of the
families in Mumbai) and families of children who were part of Don Bosco Balprafulta's centre at Govandi. The
sample size was 50 (25 families of repatriated children and 25 families of children at risk in Aadarsh Nagar,
Govandi) and the outcome of the research was expected to help design interventions for these specific families.
This would also build scope for further study and analysis of other such families where children were at risk.

Rapid Assessment Survey Of Street Involved Children In Mumbai

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The estimates on street involved children have been scattered,
fragmented, conflicting and have not been used to inform service
interventions or Government policies. Sensing the need to provide
a reliable data on street involved children, the Don Bosco Research
Centre (DBRC) Mumbai commissioned a rapid
assessment survey on street involved children in
Mumbai in collaboration with the Don Bosco National Forum
for Young at Risk (YaR) Delhi in 2012. The study aimed at
providing the Government Child Protection Unitsand other service
providers with reliable facts and figures of street involved children
in Mu mbai that could eventually influence advocacy, policies and
budget allocation for a well coordinated service to them. Censusof
street involved children across 16 wards of Greater Mumbai and
15 nodes of Navi Mumbai were recorded along with inputs
from 265 street involved children identified at different hot spots
for a period of one month. Street involved children
included children on the street, children of the street, orphaned,
abandoned, children of migrant families and street families.
Besides the primary sources, secondary sources of information from
the police, social workers and NGOs who have been providing
services to street involved children have been factored in the study.

Major Findings:
A total of 16059 street involved children were identified, 10805 boys and 5254
girls. Highestconcentration of street involved children was reported in M ward of
Greater Mumbai (3106). 38% reported to be from Maharashtra suggestive
of intra- state migration from rural to urban. 40% of the of the study were from
the slums indicating the phenomenon of slum spillover to
street. 30% constituted childrenresiding on the streets, a strong indication of
growing street families, migrant families abandoned and orphaned children in
Mumbai. 31% of children spent whole day and night on the streets of
Mumbai,40% had dropped out of school. Poverty was the major factor for street
involvement and rag picking majorsource of earning. Health was the
major concern and a shelter for a secured living the main expectation from the
Govt.

In the light of the rapid assessment study, DBRC makes the following recommendations to the Child
Protection Units of the state to formulate related child friendly policies and allocation of budgets accordingly.
Strengthening the migrant families through social and financial inclusive programmes to sustain them
economically. This could imply providing income generation programmes routed through Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) and marketing facilities channelized through Labour Department. For
social inclusive programmes provide mechanisms to distribute documents of identity proof to migrant
and street families

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 Provide compact programmes for the children of migrant children & families
in the city

A need to enforce the implementation of the RTE and compulsory

admission to all children without any documents for primary
education

The need for community outreach workers to ensure educational

facilities to accommodate all children to the neighbourhood schools

Provide skill training to the children above 15-16 years for a vocation and employability

Creation of saving provisions such as Children Development Bank and empower the children to
operate the system

Collaborative approach for child care services

Advocacy: Based on the emerging issues relating to street children in Mumbai, advocacy measures to
be taken up with the Government and other service providers in a collaborative manner to address the
issue and possible interventions on a long term basis.

Encourage the foster care programme where rehabilitation fails

The Child Rights Commission could help in overseeing the government outlays for the education and
training of these children

Constitute a monitoring unit for the effective implementation of ICPS & ICDs schemes

Periodic evaluation of schemes and statutory bodies under JJ Act

Don Bosco Snehalaya

B/h Mahindra Tractors,
Near Vishwamitri Station (West),
Vadodara - 390011
Gujarat, India.
Ph. No. 0265 2322351
Email - [email protected]

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PROFILE
Don Bosco Snehalaya A Home of Love came into existence on 24th May 2001. It strives to translate the
Don Bosco legacy of love into action, by loving, caring and protecting the homeless and orphaned children
found on railway platforms and at street corners.

PHILOSOPHY
Unconditional care and friendship is our philosophy and guiding principle. Being a Christian institution, we
base our intervention on the teachings and principles of Jesus Christ and on the three basic pillars required in
any educational system of Moral Values, Reason and Loving Kindness, as taught and practised by Don Bosco.
We assist them in becoming conscious of values such as, respect for self and others, integrity, discipline, hard
work, perseverance and relationship with God.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES

Our aim is to love every street child and youth and ensure that they receive opportunities for their physical,
emotional, psychological and spiritual development, which enable them to repatriate back into their family and
reintegrate into society. Our main objective is to care and protect the street child through services that enable
them to acquire a sense of safety, security, belonging and holistic development. Our aim and objectives are
expressed in the following Vision Mission statement.

VISION
We envisage a world where children from vulnerable situation can, grow to be self-confident and independent
persons, living stable and dignified life as responsible and productive members of society.
MISSION OBJECTIVES
To reach out to Children in need of Care and Protection, offer them a protective home environment, a holistic
education, and rehabilitate them through a well-designed and consistently followed up process, accompanying
them at every stage with our affectionate and educative presence

BEGINNINGS OF DON BOSCO

SNEHALYA
7th April, 2001
Fr. Tony D'souza the Provincial of the Mumbai Province and his council permit Fr. Roger to begin this
Marginalised Ministry from Bansal House, Nizampura, Vadodara.

9th April, 2001

Bansal House doors were found sealed by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation.

11th April, 2001

House Tax is paid to the V.M.C and sealed locks re-opened.
10th May, 2001
House blessing concludes with three Hail Marys. Mr. John Fernandes is appointed as a residential care taker of
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the house.

24th May, 2001

Bansal House is officially named as 'Don Bosco Snehalaya'

11th June, 2001

Outreach programme begins
16th June, 2001
Don Bosco Snehalaya welcomes.

Somnath P, Harish S, Deepak B, Ranjit V, Vijay S, Shera A, Ashok P and Iqbal E. They are the first gifts of God
to Don Bosco Snehalaya

Company which is sponsoring to Young At Risk foundation:

Conclusion
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

- Winston Churchill.

As rightly said in the above quote, being socially responsible is our duty and obligation towards the society we
live in. We are obliged to perform our Social responsibilities towards society by large, as an Individual,
Corporate or any other entity. There are many organizations and NGOs who perform this duty of theirs with full
heart. We see this in the illustration of NGO YaR YOUNG AT RISK who works towards transforming lives
of children in the society. To conclude this project I would like to highlight that if each one of us contribute a
little atleast to the society and be socially responsible by helping the needy, there wouldnt be any needy left one
day. As sung by legend Michael Jackson in his composition Heal The World.

Heal the world Make it a better place, For you and for me .
And the entire human race There are people dying If you care enough For the living Make a better place For
you and for me..

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