10-Year Retrospective

Photos coming soon!!

Though it began work on an informal basis in 1995, Saathi was registered under the Bombay Societies Registration Act 13 May, 1997, and the Youth Initiative Project was formalized. A room was rented at the Kamathipura Municipal School to use as a Day Centre for the project.

By 1998, Expansion of the reach and scope of the Youth Initiative Project and establishment of funding sources were the areas of focus. The Saathi team had grown from the founder group to a team of regular workers. Team meetings were held to discuss strategies, progress, and difficult cases, especially because the issue of youth was so new and required unique approaches.

A situational analysis was done to understand the fates of girls arriving in Mumbai since they were not seen on the streets like the male youth were. By 1999, the Girls Project began, working to meet girls as they arrived at Mumbai Central station and protect them from exploitation by trafficking networks.

2000-01: Saathi participated in Gujarat earthquake relief work, acting as a collection centre in partnership with CRY.  The organization was also involved in preparing the background of the case against the Swedish couple, the Marty’s, which became a landmark case for legal prosecution of foreigners participating in child pornography and child sexual abuse. Saathi also became registered under the Foreign Contributions Registration Act (FCRA), allowing for international funding.

Entering its fifth year in 2001-02, the organization undertook its first exhaustive review including internal and external stakeholders, peer organizations, and impact assessments. The Quality Institutional Care and Alternatives for Children (QIC&AC) campaign, initiated by CRY, invited Saathi to act as resource organization for the Maharashtra state-level activities. Aasmaan Project began its work in a local pavement community with an initial focus on girl-children and education. 2001-02 also saw the first intensive use of drama therapy and the arts in efforts with the youths and girls in our projects. Training initiatives with local police forces also began.

In 2002-03, Saathi took on its first International Intern. With partner organization Sathi-Raichur, the Home Placement Project began full time work in identifying and rescuing children of all ages at Mumbai Central Train Terminus with the focus of returning them home. In response to the communal violence in Gujarat, Saathi responded with efforts in the Vatva region of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, which grew into Interventions with Children Affected by Communal Violence with partner organization, Sahyog. Having recognized the need for cooperation and networking, Saathi initiated the CDE Ward Forum for NGOs working in that area to better leverage resources and knowledge.

2003-04:  Saathi explored ways of leveraging its knowledge by providing consultation to a company beginning socially responsible activities in Kerala. A running group began with participation in the 1^st International Mumbai Marathon.

In 2004-05, Saathi was granted distribution rights to the feature film “‘Devi’ Ahilyabai” by the NFDC to explore an awareness campaign and fund raising opportunities. The first in-house night shelter was inaugurated in the Girls Project and the Outbound Vocational Training program began working with youths.

Saathi’s first published research study was also released in 2004-05, Girls on the Run: Repatriation of Runaways, which went on to receive the top award for the BCPT-CAP Award for Excellence among VOs in Mumbai for Knowledge Sharing and Project Documentation.

2005-06:Saathi’s response to the death of a child in the Aasmaan Project community due to violence from his employer provided the impetus for a massive undertaking by the police, fellow NGOs, and various bodies to conduct raids in areas known for child labour.  Over 1,000 children were rescued in that series of raids and hundreds more rescued in following months. Flood relief efforts were undertaken in a suburb of Mumbai where basic requirements such as foodgrains and sleeping mats were provided to 515 families along with education and stationery packs to 642 children of all ages.

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