India: helping street children: Misereor

Child protection, health and education: in New Delhi, children find support and are given the chance of a better future.

Invest in the future of street children in India with your donation.

Continent

Asia

Thematic focus:

Building equitable cities

In cities and town in India, uncountable children have to survive on the streets. They suffer from hunger, diseases, substance abuse and violence. Many of them do not attend school. Misereor's partner organisation Butterflies provide many different support services to street children in New Delhi.

They beg for alms, collect waste or offer small goods for sale. They often do not earn more than the equivalent of 30 cents or 1 euro per day. With this little amount, they have to sustain not only themselves but often also their families.

While education and a school-leaving certificate are the basis for a better life, parents who cannot read, write or do maths themselves, can hardly support their children with their studies. Furthermore, there is often a lack of understanding that learning requires time and space. Social workers support the children and young people by teaching them in small groups and providing them learning materials that are relevant to their lives.

Butterflies’ 11 current outreach centres in Delhi are located where the children live. Even under a bridge, they find a safe place to learn and take part in group activities.

In cooperative learning, the children support one another: they explain the subject matter, catch up on anything they have missed and prepare for school together.

Listening to one another, building trust and being there for one another: in the Buddy Programme, young people learn to observe carefully and support other children.

At Butterflies Broadcasting Children, young media professionals develop their own radio programmes, conduct interviews and bring their topics to the public’s attention

The children decide for themselves what they would like to report on. Together, they research topics such as air pollution or cybercrime and draw up scripts and interview questions.

At the cookery school, the young people not only gain vocational skills, but also learn about hygiene, teamwork, communication and organisation.

Working together and taking responsibility: Vocational training opens up new prospects for young people to lead self-determined lives.

After studying, there’s always time for playing, dancing and spending time together. These shared activities strengthen the sense of community and boost self-confidence.

For many children, these community centres are far more than just places of learning: they are where friendships are formed and a sense of community develops, which gives them a sense of belonging.

Through pictures, theatre, radio and their own newspaper, the children express their thoughts, concerns and hopes for the future.

The social workers also provide psychosocial support. At Butterflies, telling stories is the method of choice, helping them take their minds off their life on the streets. The children's successes give them strength and confidence in their own abilities.

At Butterflies’ 11 outreach centres, the children also learn the basics of health and hygiene. This enables them to protect themselves better against infections and to administer first aid for minor injuries. The ‘Buddy’ programme is particularly effective: experienced children pass on their newly acquired knowledge to other street children. They keep an eye on their peers, notice any changes and offer a listening ear or put them in touch with the nearest social worker.

Thanks to your support, street children find safe havens and are given the chance to lead self-determined lives.

Around 800 children receive regular lessons or support at the "contact points".
At Butterflies, 96% of students transfer to the next grade at the end of the school year.
Crime prevention: around 50 young people take part in confidence-building measures, sports and cultural activities.
Trainings on child protection and mental well-being have reached 392 children.
Ninety-five (95) mothers and fathers were informed about career opportunities and scholarships for thei children.
Fifty (50) families are supplied with food.
A hotline is available for children to ask for help.

Would you like to find out more about our charity projects? Then read our magazine “Weiter.wirken” now. The magazine about and for the people who make a difference at Misereor.

Go to the magazine

When donating by bank transfer, please indicate the project number "P30050" in the reference line.

To ensure that your donation has an impact in the long term, Misereor uses a small proportion for important administration an related tasks. This way, we make sure that projects are selected carefully and implemented responsibly and that their effects are regularly monitored. Should it not be possible to use your donation as planned, we will use it where it is currently needed most.

Our local partner organisations

Butterflies

The Misereor partner organisation Butterflies has been helping street children since 1989 by enabling them to access education, health care services and psychosocial support. In the heart of the capital's densely populated districts, Butterflies operates contact points with social workers. In its work, the organisation puts a strong emphasis on children's and young people's own initiatives and co-determination.

Miriam Thiel

Donor Communications

Telephone: +49 241 442506
E-mail: miriam.thiel@misereor.de

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When I realised that I was able to solve some difficult maths problems and was also able to give the right answer in front of the other children, I was incredibly happy

Kashish
no longer misses any lessons at the contact point.

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