Street Smart
Street Smart works with slum and street children who rag pick and beg for a living. The original focus of this project was art therapy and basic literacy.
The scope and depth of this project has increased many folds since the beginning of the program. Currently, more than 550 children attend Street Smart program across five learning centers in Dehradun. Our aim is to bring children into literacy and mainstream them into schools. 567 children have been mainstreamed in the past few years.
Learning centers
Morning Outreach at Govindgarh: Outreach program and initiation into education.
Time: 9 a.m-12:30 p.m.
No of children: 140
Street Smart at The Haven, Indira Nagar: Aasraa’s main centre for formal learning & preparatory classes leading to mainstreaming
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
No of Children: 110
Anti- Begging Campaign (Rajkiya Purva Madhyamik Vidhyalaya, Rajpur Road): Eradicates child begging through education & vocational training. This program is run in conjunction with the District Magistrate and NGO partner Childline.
Time: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
No of Children: 45
Mobile Learning Centre Anti Begging Campaign Bus at ISBT: An extension of the Anti-Begging Campaign this initiative is targeted at street & slum children who do not attend school. They are initiated into literacy through E-Learning, art & craft.
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
No of Children: 135
Mobile Learning Center Bus at Bindal :A revolutionary classroom on wheels that is equipped with high tech audio visual learning material & refreshments for initiating street & slum children to basic literacy.
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m
No of Children: 110
NIOS – Open Basic Education (At The Haven)
Aasraa is an accredited centre for National Institute of Open Schooling’s (NIOS) Open Basic Education program. This is the only NIOS centre in Dehradun that provides children with Open Basic Education catering to classes 3, 5 and 8. This is an essential recognition for older children who have never been part of a formal classroom and are unable to gain entrance in age appropriate classes.
Time: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
No of Children: 45
For the older children, Street Smart is running a Vocational Training Program to discourage begging and encourage learning a skill, how to run a business, self reliance and independence. The focus is to remove young people from the dangers associated with street life.
We are working with a designer of ethnic products, to train our children in various crafts. The designer is currently training the older children the art of block printing on paper and textiles and work with a master for sewing technique. The intention is to create a business into which these children can grow and be part of society and not remain marginalized.
Street Smart provides:
- Bus transportation to and from slums to our centers
- Basic literacy, bridge course for mainstreaming
- Computer education
- Music classes
- Clothing
- Nutrition ranging from meals to fruit & milk
- Medical attention
- Vocational Training
- Counselling
Extensive teacher training has been done in order engage these children and bring them into education.
