Located in Delhi West, Sanskriti was setup 6 yrs ago by Ms. Aruna Sharma. It caters primarily to the needs of the girl child and looks into the various aspects of their education, health & hygiene as well as an all round development of every individual.
Before establishing Sanskriti, Aruna was actively involved in a social project as a coordinator with a community centre which addressed the situation of children on the platforms in the Delhi Railway Stations. Her intense involvement with them made her realize that these children were being abused both physically and mentally and were not secure in those surroundings. Wanting to safeguard the interests of these girls, Aruna set up Sanskriti which operates out of her residential premises. She has converted two floors of her house into a home for these children and most of her endeavors have been financed by her supportive family.
At present there are 29 inmates within the age group of 4 to 17 years. They include children of sex workers and drug addicts who have either been abandoned or whose parents’ have been unable to provide a healthy and secure environment to them. Aruna, through Sanskriti, provides these children with education and vocational training (all the children go to public schools) and takes care of their basic needs including health and hygiene. However, due to a financial constraint, she has been unable to increase the number of girls at Sanskriti and set up a foundation for them.
Stellar saw within Sanskriti, an opportunity to contribute immensely, and has set up a formal trust, to channel efforts towards this cause. In fact, we were highly impressed with Aruna’s focus and altruism in bringing up these girls. To begin this association, the entire team at Stellar celebrated the festival of Diwali in 2005 with the children at Sanskriti and gifted those blankets and sweets.
Going forward, Stellar decided to focus on the following aspects, which are absolutely essential for the growth of these children:
[A] Health & Hygiene – We began our association by concentrating on the medical aspect. Stellar made arrangements to set up medical camps (with contribution from our clients) for providing necessary medical help for the well being of these children. This includes annual health packages as well as availability of proper first – aid facilities.
Stellar has also taken the responsibility of treating critical illnesses like Hepatitis B and Tuberculosis to promote an overall healthy environment at Sanskriti. Our efforts include the provision of basic facilities like water purifiers, carpets, blankets etc.
[B] Education – Each individual at Stellar is passionate about making the children at Sanskriti self-sufficient. To ensure this, we have allocated days to the members of the team who go and teach English, Science and Math’s, subjects with which these children need maximum assistance. Stellar arranges to make available books, stationery, school uniforms for ensuring that the above objectives are met. We have installed power backup to ensure the children have no constraints in continuing their studies.
With the ultimate goal of ensuring that these children have better grades and are more confident, we spend time with them on both educational as well as co curricular activities, counseling on all matters relating to Health & Hygiene, elements of relationships and friendship.
Hasmukh Kala with Growth for All
Savda Ghevra is a massive re-settlement colony for slum dwellers shifted from rest of Delhi. Currently, around 3000 families live there, but this 259 acres’ area will eventually house over 21,000 families. Hasty, unplanned shift has led to plethora of problems for this poor population.
Shailja has been part of “Hasmukh Kala” with Growth For All (Srikant Sastri, Social Innovator)has been working (with the Delhi Government, Chief Minister’s office) to address livelihood, health, education and cultural issues.
Hasmukh Kala” program launched at Savda Ghevra brings dance and music to the lives of 50+ children. Music & dance takes over these children on weekend afternoon as they learn intently from their “guruji”. Hemu Javeri, the brain behind Hasmukh Kala and friend Shailja first visited Savda Ghevra a few months ago. They quickly gave shape to the “Hasmukh Kala” program identified the right teacher and got started.
It is immensely gratifying to have committed people step in and complement this movement with their own thoughts and vision.