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Awakenings
May 2004
In this issue:
Copyright © 2001-2002
Jagriti International.
All rights reserved.
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May 2004
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SPOTLIGHT ON SAATHI - HELPING STREET
CHILDREN IN NEPAL
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by Lin Rosney
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Bridging
worlds volunteer, Lin
Rosney, just finished working with Saathi in Nepal.
Saathi runs programs for women victims of domestic violence,
cross border trafficking and street children.
It is estimated there are over 900 street children in
Kathmandu alone, and over 5,000 in Nepal as a whole. While
on the street the children not only suffer hunger, disease
and emotional scars, but also are at a greatly increased
risk of falling victim to sexual exploitation. Thankfully,
these children are receiving a helping hand from Saathi,
a Jagriti partner women's organization in Nepal.
Saathi works to eliminate injustice
and violence against women and children and provide support
to victims. Saathi's programs |
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address children's
issues on three fronts: short-term assistance via a drop-in
center; a shelter that provides long-term support; and a child
sponsorship program.
Saathi's Bishram Bal Kendra Drop in Center answers the urgent
needs of street children by providing immediate temporary assistance,
including medical care, counseling, food and short-term lodging.
Outreach workers, trained in working with disadvantaged youths,
invite children to the center to receive basic aid and psychological
support. Since its inception, the Drop in Center has served
over 200 children. Approximately 35 visit on a regular basis.
To address the long-term needs of these children, Saathi also
operates the Saathi Bal Ashreya Shivir Street Children's shelter
and the family re-integration program. The primary aim of the
shelter, in concert with Saathi's other programs, is to provide
a long-term solution to the underlying problems that caused
the child to flee to the streets in the first place. When possible
and safe, Saathi seeks to reunite the children with their family
and provides family counseling and support for the children's
education and meals once they are returned to their family.
The team at Saathi are encouraged by the success of the reintegration
program to date and are proud that they have been able to prove
to other NGO's that you don't need a huge budget to run a safe
and happy children's shelter.
Through their newly initiated Child Sponsorship Program, Saathi
offers educational scholarships to child victims of violence
and supports over 70 children countrywide who would otherwise
have no access to education. The Child Sponsorship program has
three key components: support for children at the shelter; scholarship,
meals and field worker visits to children who have been re-integrated;
and vocation scholarships to older children to provide them
with the long-term benefit of entering into paid employment.
You can support Saathi's important work in several ways. By
sponsoring a child, you will be helping innocent victims of
abuse and poverty gain the basic education that is every child's
right. To sponsor a child, visit:
http://www.saathi.org.np/displayArticle.jsp?articleTypeId=1010
To find out how to support Saathi's other programs, visit:
http://www.saathi.org.np/checkout.jsp?mode=donate&error=null |
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