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Celebrating 10 Years |
Annual Report: 2006-2007
Project Activity Updates
This Flagship project was reinvigorated this year with a shift in intervention strategies, expansion of the team, and renewal of efforts on issues needing urgent addressing. These issues include access to medical care, employment opportunities, and housing. Project participants also had an opportunity to express themselves through a photo exhibition of photos taken by them, which also provided the opportunity for advocacy about issues facing youth on the streets.
Milestones
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Successfully leveraged corporate social responsibility (CSR) of private corporates to increase employment and training opportunities for the youth on the streets. |
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Head count of youth living on the street done in C, D and E wards of Mumbai. |
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Aspiration Gaps study conducted to find a scientific explanation to the frequent shifting-of-jobs phenomenon among the youth living on the streets. |
Concerns & Challenges
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Motivating society support in light of negative stereotypes and stigmas associated with youths living on the street. |
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Lack of availability of people with an issue-based perspective for employment. |
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Macro based work is constrained due to shortage of staff. |
Future Plans
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Expansion of work from 3 to 5 wards of Mumbai (A to E wards). |
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Sensitisation and advocacy among sections of society which immediately affect the lives of youth living on the street, mainly a) hospitals b) police c) local community bodies. |
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Linking the youth on the streets with youth from other sections through games and sports. |
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Mobilisation of a youth volunteer base. |
The Girls Project has always explored new and innovative ways to work with the adolescent girl who has run away or been abandoned and 2006-07 was no different. From preparing to add a full time Short Stay Home to starting a research study into Mental Health and the role it may play in a girl leaving home, the project has continued to expand its own knowledge while attempting to share with others.
Milestones
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Building a stronger understanding of mental health as an issue and initiating an in-depth research study with project participants and others. |
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Focus on the issue of trafficking, especially in following up cases from a legal standpoint. |
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Locating a sizable shelter space in the suburbs of Mumbai to be used for a Short Stay Home. |
Concerns & Challenges
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Developing strategies for prevention and interception of trafficking cases. |
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Within a rights based-approach, challenges in defining participation of the girls. |
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Reconciling intensive project costs with a relatively lower number of project participants (ie, ratio of expenditure per person), due to the need for intensive programs, shelters, and potential for long term impact on individuals and systems. |
Future Plans
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Exploring options for After Care for girls leaving residential institutions. |
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Conducting training programmes for government systems on a range of issues (Juvenile Justice Act (2000), UN Convention on Rights of the Child, etc). |
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Exploring various methods of working with the self as rehabilitation techniques. |
Last year, the Home Placement team extended its outreach efforts to the Bandra Train Terminus in addition to the work being done at Mumbai Central Station. Along with these efforts, the project has also been focusing considerable energy on the issue of trafficking. On several occasions, the team members were able to identify suspicious situations of children traveling with individuals who did not seem to be related or familiar, and through assistance with police were able to intervene with children being trafficked into Mumbai. The project is now taking the initiative further in exploring ways of accessing the common source areas where trafficking originates.
Milestones
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Initiation of strategic planning and networking between NGOs for trafficking, working at Source, Transit and Destination areas. A direct result of this was active information exchange about girls and children being trafficked out from source with destination areas. |
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Successful expansion of Outreach efforts to Bandra railway terminus. |
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Formation of NGO forum of organizations working in the Government-run Children’s Home to jointly take up issues. |
Concerns & Challenges
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Significant challenges in dealing with functionaries of the Juvenile Justice System. |
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Three people out of a team of five went on emergency leave. Despite recruiting one more person, time put in outreach suddenly came down. |
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Many children who live in or around the station were randomly picked up for supposed rehabilitation by a “reputed NGO” and kept in the Children’s Home. As a result children stopped trusting the team. |
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Inability to locate a full time shelter space. |
Future Plans
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Reduction / prevention of migration of children from source areas. |
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Protection of Children- in transit and destination areas through sensitisation of government systems and systems responsible for care and protection of children, and through implementation of laws available. |
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Increase in follow ups – regularity and depth (social, economic, psychological, and shelter provision) |
Recognizing the positive influence of identifying with business models within an Income Generation Program, increased emphasis was put on elevating the level of professionalism within the program both internally and externally. This included increased management of the operations by the project participants themselves as well as raising prices of products being sold to better match market rates. The ever-increasing parity with viable business models has brought the option of creating a spin off commercial venture for consideration. While it has been a concept under consideration for some time, with the efforts made in 2006-07, the coming year will allow for further understanding of whether this is an avenue Saathi and its Income Generation Program would like to take.
Milestones
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Formalization and increased professionalism of relationships with participant workers via contract letters and more elegantly structured stipend packages. |
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Received orders from international customers for both bags and mosaics. |
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More closely aligned sale prices with those across the market, resulting in an increase in Saathi products’ prices. |
Concerns & Challenges
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Determining the balance between aspects of a business and that of a rehabilitative component. |
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Exploring potential positives and detriments to growing Kria into a commercial venture. |
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Lack of space for inventory and being able to produce larger orders continues to be a significant problem and impediment to growing customer base. |
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Locating viable, long term market for higher-end mosaic products and art pieces. |
Future Plans
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Exploring ability to develop export customers, including appropriate registrations. |
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Explore further mosaic work (product line, large-scale projects, etc). |
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Fine Mosaic Art gallery premiere confirmed at leading art gallery. |
Outbound Vocational Training (OVT)
The Outbound Vocational Training program has captured the imagination of everyone who has come in contact with it – participants, team members, well-wishers and random visitors alike. This continuous boost to morale has created a certain rhythm and momentum that has pushed everyone forward to wonderful results. The program has matured to a level where there are several options available in moving forward –trainees who have gone through the program can take up freelancing opportunities, developing an Outbound Outfit where the group works as a full technical support team, offering outbound therapy camps to disadvantaged youth, children, and fellow development organizations, and so on.
Milestones
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The 7 youth admitted to Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (Uttarkashi) completed the Basic Mountaineering 28-day course. |
Concerns & Challenges
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Developing client groups for business development of Outbound Outfit. |
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Understanding and integrating international standards of Safety and Risk Management in outbound programs. |
Future Plans
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Development of Outbound Therapy / Outward Bound-style camps for use with project participants across Saathi. |
Read Gagan's Goals (case study)
In any expanding organization, there comes a point when growing pains are experienced and systems need to be re-examined for how well they are able to hold the new structures evolving. 2006-07 saw the confirmation of several systems created over the years but also the need for closer monitoring of others. Perhaps the role of administration then is to expand and contract in anticipation of and reaction to the ever-changing pulse of a dynamic organization.
Milestones
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Strong relationships with Donor Agencies inspiring trust and expansion of relationship, ie. Referral of volunteer and intern requests, site visits of VIPs, etc. |
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Formation of Corpus Fund |
Concerns & Challenges
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Delineating roles within the Administrative Department for control of support of various systems such as Human Resources, Governance, Accounts, etc. |
Future Plans
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Stronger support to projects of a general administrative nature. |
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Mapping of all project initiatives to identify areas stalled or in need of concentrated efforts. |
The Aasmaan Project, carried out in partnership with Committed Communities Development Trust (CCDT) began implementation of its plan for eventual handover to CCDT. The majority of the Aasmaan team was housed within the CCDT structure, including the project Coordinator. At the same time this transition began, intensive exploration of the impact of the project’s work over the last few years was begun and refined techniques employed with community.
Interventions within the community two years ago, when two of the children were badly beaten by their employer causing the death of one, created the impetus for Saathi’s intensive involvement in the issue of child labour. While Saathi continues to be involved in a significant Task Force and addresses the issue across projects, the Aasmaan Project has also continued the focus within the community. Overcoming many challenges, including changing perceptions amongst the participant families, sending children to work is no longer an acceptable norm within the community. This was a major accomplishment for the project and will continue to be built upon through delivery of education and ongoing empowerment initiatives.
Quality Institutional Care and Alternatives for Children (QIC&AC)
Saathi has been acting as the Resource Organization for the QIC&AC Campaign in Maharashtra since the campaign’s inception. It had always been a goal of the campaign that eventually the role of acting as Resource Organization would rotate between organizations involved, leveraging the strengths of different organizations and ensuring a level of equality between all. In 2006-07, Saathi stepped out of the role with a fellow organization, Institute for Youth and Social Welfare (IYSW), in Nagpur taking over the position. Saathi continues to be very involved in the campaign and welcomes the opportunity to contribute in a new role.
The campaign releases its own annual report for those interested in the many successes reached during 2006-07.
Interventions with Children Affected by Violence in Gujarat
In 2002, Saathi began a partnership with Sahyog, a young NGO based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, in an effort to offer relief to children traumatized by the violence which had recently taken place. It started with therapeutic applications of drama, games, and group activities. As time passed, Sahyog mobilized to introduce an education program originally intended to bridge any gaps created by the wait to be re-enrolled in schools but soon grew to a full-fledged education program with several facets ranging from efforts to gain admission to local schools on behalf of the children to nonformal education classes for those whose documents had been lost in the violence, preventing their re-enrollment. Saathi provided support in various forms, mentoring and training Sahyog on aspects in which Saathi had strengths but could not do first hand due to geographical constraints.
Since then, Sahyog has matured into a strong organization with a multi-faceted education program recognized by many, including local school principals, as being very effective. They have expanded their work with the children to include community support, organizing women’s and youths’ groups in efforts to empower the population. The Sahyog team is now working with over 2,000 families on a regular basis. On 31st March, 2007, the formal partnership between Sahyog and Saathi ended. However, the relationship of mutual trust and respect the two organizations have built will continue.
Saathi’s work with the film “‘Devi’ Ahilybai” faced significant challenges this year. In 2005-06, the costs associated with releases in theatres were found to be too high for the type of audiences who would be interested in this film genre (docu-drama). The focus shifted from distribution in theatres to sale of rights. However, the limited duration that the rights are held by Saathi (7years) was greeted with disinterest by the many companies approached as they purchase rights mainly ‘in perpetuity’. Refocusing the energy of the team to the other objective of holding the film, awareness about several issues raised in the film, many peer organizations were approached for hosting special screenings. Unfortunately, most did not have funds available to cover the associated costs and again the plan stalled. Through the assistance of a donor agency who has been associated with Saathi for the last couple years, a proposal was forwarded to a foundation who expressed interest. A grant has been awarded to facilitate special screenings for the purpose of awareness raising and advocacy starting with the new financial year, 2007-08. The team working with Devi looks forward to the renewed energy and has started speaking with the organizations who had wanted to host but were unable to previously.
The 4th Annual Standard Chartered International Mumbai Marathon was once again a success. One of the interns designed a training program for participants in the Girls Project and they trained daily during the months leading up to the event. All girls completed the Dream Run, many doing better than they anticipated. The Running Group made up of youths from Kria and Youth Initiative Project also participated, with some doing the Dream Run and others the 21k Half Marathon. In all, 20 project participants ran in the races. One of the runners who has participated since the first marathon came in 50th in the Half Marathon. The fundraising efforts, facilitated by GIVE Foundation, and done on behalf of Saathi were truly inspiring to all of us. The combined donations raised were an amazing Rs 10,33,499!
Our sincere thanks to all who contributed: those who pledged in support of runners, those who ran in support of Saathi, and those who turned out the day of the marathon to cheer everybody!
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