Located
in west Delhi, 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
endeavours 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 them 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 Maths, 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. |