Abstract

1
A Needs-Centered Approach to Assisting New
Delhis Street Children
Aneesh Kapur Under the Instruction of Dr.
Kathryn Whetten and Sanjay Chakraborty
Background
The following data gives a rough profile of the
children that attend Saharas programs (although
most of these numbers were collected as part of a
needs assessment of female street children, based
on my experience they seem to be representative
of street children in Old Delhi)
Abstract
Early Interventions

• When one visits Delhi, one is startled at the
  juxtaposition of well kept green parks and
  congested slums. In Old Delhi, just around the
  corner from some of Delhis biggest monuments,
  oldest places of worship, and busiest markets lie
  garbage-ridden areas where the citys poorest
  inhabitants live. Located in this district,
  Sahara Childrens Day Care and Night Shelter has
  delivered services to vulnerable children since
  2004, including
• Internally displaced and refugee children,
• Unaccompanied children children separated
  from their parents,
• Migrant children,
• Children in abusive homes or environments,
• Child laborers,
• Disabled children.
• Saharas Center gives these children access to
  essential health care, hygiene, and educational
  services they would other wise lack.
• My project conducted an initial assessment of the
  needs of street children utilizing Saharas
  center through interviews and daily observations.
  Based on these observations, preliminary changes
  were made to the curriculum content and teaching
  method as well as to the goals and organization
  of the outreach program. These modifications
  aimed to add real-world relevance and facilitate
  progress for these children. Further analysis and
  work with Sahara over the coming years intends to
  uncover and address additional barriers to child
  advancement within the program and adapt these
  lessons to the organizations similar program in
  Jahangirpuri, a Northern outskirt of New Delhi.
•  

• Educational Program
• Structured Teaching Method to Encourage Child
  Progress
• - Allotted specific times for study of Hindi,
  English, and Maths
• - Divided students by level and encouraged
  collective learning
• Increased Life Skills Curriculum Content to Add
  Real-World Relevance
• - Began Teaching Hindi, English, and Maths in
  terms of life-like examples
• - Re-introduced internationally developed
  playing cards/ board game for street
  childrens life skills education
• - Encouraged adaptation of Saharas
  rehabilitation-designed discussions for character
  building among children

2

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2

• Outreach Program
• Suggested More Regular Outreach Schedule for
  Dependability to Children
• Suggested More Substantive Rather than
  Referral-Based Outreach for Children who are
  Unable to Attend

Education 84 Currently Not Accessing Educational
Facility 60 Respondents illiterate 36 Aware
of Educational Services in their Locality
Continued Needs
2
Saharas Services

• The following seemed to be areas ought to be
  looked into in further work with Sahara
• Further development of and staff training for
  Life Skills Education
• Additional staff for division of students/ tasks
• Electronic records for better monitoring and
  tracking of children and data collection
• System to incentivize participation for regular
  attendance, from parents, during outreach
• System of peer educators to spread information
  on health seeking, education, drug use, family
  planning, etc
• Girls Night Shelter
• Generator for constant electricity supply
• Complete qualitative quantitative needs
  assessment survey on New Delhi Street Children
  both in Old Delhi and in Jahangirpuri
• Adaptation of improvements to Saharas
  Childrens Center in Jahangirpuri

• Hygiene Nourishment
• Daily Bathing / Washing of Clothes
• Weekly Nail-Cutting
• Nutritious and Regular Meals
• Primary Health Care
• Medical and Nursing Staff Available Daily
• Medications Provided and Abscesses Treaded as
  Necessary
• Detoxification for Substance Users
• Education
• Non-formal Education for Basic Literacy
• Referral Network for Further Schooling
  Vocational Training
• Safety
• Daycare Keep 35 children off the Streets/ Away
  from Drugs 9-5
• Nightshelter Provide Housing for 15 Boys
• Outreach
• Semi-Weekly Trips to Refer Street Children to
  Center

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2
Methods

• Daily Observations and Informal Discussions with
  Children and Staff - over eight weeks with Sahara
  this summer
• Learning from Participating taught children at
  Saharas center and spoke to other street
  children on outreach excursions
• Interviews with Staff Members discussed
  childrens background and needs as well as staff
  members individual opinion of the Sahara program
• Interviews with Night Shelter Children
  discussed the environment they grew up in
  (including their history with labor, sex, drugs,
  and theft) before and after coming to Sahara,
  other children were not interviewed due to their
  young age

Works Cited

• Sahara Centere for Residential Care and
  Rehabilitation (2006). Sahara Childrens Project.
• Saharas Research Department (2005). A Needs
  Assessment Survey on The Girl-Street Child.