Many poverty-stricken families migrate to Hyderabad city along with their children for livelihood opportunities. They do daily wage work, domestic work and other meagre income works which are insufficient to meet their survival needs. In this situation, the children get affected most due to unhealthy living circumstances and so they need long-term care with all basic needs such as proper shelter, healthy nutritious food, education, and recreational facilities.
ASRITHA team conducted a social mapping of migrated families in Hyderabad in collaboration with Aid at Action and SarvaSiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in the year 2010, to understand their socio-economic living conditions. Results showed an increase of school drop-outs, domestic violence and unhealthy addictions in children. A brief study on the family caring system was also conducted for the children, who were restored back to their families and the finding was, 35 % of the families were found in extremely vulnerable conditions due to which the parents could not provide required basic needs to the children. Interventions showed the children identified from various difficult circumstances such as those without parents, with a single parent, child laborers involved in begging, domestic work and rag-picking. Most of these children were never enrolled at schools, and others who did, dropped out from education.Children were also found to be suffering from chronic diseases and affected mentally due to their parents, who committed suicide due to farm distress. Based on the field experience, ASRITHA has comprehended the need of long-term care to provide a safe and secured residential care that reclaims their joyful childhood back. The key services, which are being delivered by the organization, are Care & Protection, Psycho-Social support, Career Guidance, Life skill education, Vocational Trainings, Job Placements, Community Based Care, and Sustainability of young adults.
The salient features of ASRITHA are providing qualitative service to the needy and protecting the rights of the underprivileged children. ASRITHA’s mission run on its core features, Non-Custodial Home, Child Friendly Environment, Civil Society Participation, Child Centric Approach, Talent Mentoring & Skill development, Constant Follow up and Monitoring.
Towards fulfilling this mission, ASRITHA has started residential homes in the premises of government schools where some portion of the building is allotted to run homes for needy children. These needy children live on their own in the streets without parents and some of them with parents who are migrant labourers and live as pavement dwellers.These needy children are vulnerable being on streets, their primary needs of secure shelter and right to be educated provided at the same time. The intention of collaboration with the local government is to provide a quality education to underprivileged children through strengthening government schools by enrolling the drop out children andnever enrolled children.
Projects Areas (Locations)
The homes are sited in the following localities of Hyderabad city.
Rainbow home for girls was started in 2010. It is situated in the premises of Government Primary School at Doodhbowli near Charminar. 59 % of the children have already received support from the home and successfully achieved their goals. 41 %of the children are now under institutional care.
Home for Boys was started in 2010 and situated in the premises of Government Primary School at Nalabazar near Monda Market in Secunderabad. 71 % of the children received support and successfully achieved their goals till date. 29 % of the children are under residential care at present.
Lakshya UDAAN Home for Boys was started in 2017 in the premises of Government Primary School at Hyderbasti in Secunderabad. 50 % of the children received support and successfully achieved their goals and the rest of the 50% are under residential care.
Open-Shelter - Situated in the premises of Kachiguda Railway Station is an open- shelter for children rescued from the railway platforms and streets. During a child's stay in the shelter home, ASRITHA provides them with their basic needs such as food, health care, counselling, bridge course teaching and vocational trainings, restoration and re-settlement of the children.This shelter home has been started under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme of Government of Telangana. The building has been allotted by Divisional Railway Manager, Hyderabad to run the shelter for needy children.
