Salaam Balak Trust - review 2009

OPS members who have followed updates from SBT will know that the quarterly payments from OPS in 2008  have been directed to the contact point at Old Delhi Railway Station.

As opposed to the Trust's shelter homes where former street kids live permanently and get education, the contact points cater for children who are still living and/or working on the streets each have to cope with a different set of challenges.  In the case of Old Delhi station, the children often have families who are themselves living on the street. The contact point is still relatively new and this year its staff (led by a new but experienced co-ordinator, Manoj Singh) will continue to find new ways of helping the kids they are targeting.  The main problems are lack of education and drug abuse, both of which can only be tackled over time. SBT counsellors and outreach workers will use their experience to try to persuade the children to go to school, or their parents to let them.  SBT has already had considerable success at its central Delhi contact point near Connaught Place in getting street kids enrolled in formal schools - there are currently seven. Old Delhi can cater for those who do go to school in the morning through its afternoon sessions of educational support.  And then there is non-formal education for those who cannot be covered by any of these.

In terms of the Trust's general aims for this year, 2009 cannot be a repeat 2008, which was the Trust's 20th anniversary and saw the long-planned opening of the Trust's first purpose-built home, the great new Arushi centre for girls.  Tight budgets are the order of the day, and funding restrictions have already led to a partial freezing of hiring new staff - which makes the support of regular funding sources like  OPS all the more important. However, subject to these constraints and within its existing centres, the Trust is hoping to expand its services in two key areas: mental health and drug de-addiction. SBT is proud of its existing mental health team which has several roving full-time counsellors working under the supervision of senior child pyschologist Dr Sen.   However, the need is constantly expanding.  Very few children who for whatever reason end up on the streets are without some trauma in their life - maybe abuse, neglect, exclusion or bereavement - and their lifestyles, especially the solvent abuse, just exacerbate these problems.  So a de-tox programme, which the Trust has already begun, is also in need of expansion and improvement.

The money from the One Percent Scheme would continue to be channelled to the contact point at Old Delhi railway station. This is the contact point that was set up last year with the help of OPS funds. Keep an eye on quarterly updates for developments! (more info on the contact centre can be found in the on the SBT page in Causes we Support)

Nick Thompson January 2009