Night Shelter

A Night Shelter is a project which is directly related to those children who are on the streets. It will focus on providing them shelter/night stay. It is expected that by providing such facilities it will be possible to have a direct and positive effect on the well being of the street children. Night Shelter has been supported by Group Development, France and European Commission, while City District Government Karachi has provided land for the shelter.

The future of the street children is thwarted with many dangers as they could be accomplices or victims of crime. Their life style leaves them exposed to the vulnerabilities of the milieu and also with no shelter from environmental calamities. Their daily nourishment could at the most be from low quality hotel food, or waste dumps. They have no access to schooling, formal or informal. Hence they have no opportunity to draw themselves out from the mire in which they find themselves.

A survey conducted by Azad foundation has the following data. 90% SLC reported sleeping on footpaths; another 4% reported sleeping wherever they could find a place. Others reported sleeping in parks, inside under construction buildings, or with friends. 96% Street living children falls in the category of more than six children sleeping at one place and 4% SLC belongs to the category of less than six children sleeping at one place.

It had been found that such marginalized population is practicing this behavior quiet since long as for e.g. 44% of Street living children reported sleeping at their present place of sleep for more than a year. 6% SLC had been sleeping there for less than a year and less than two months, respectively.

Why Night shelter

• Around 12,000 Street Children are living on streets round the clock
• Such shelter less children can easily become the victim of any kind of abuse and violence.

Objectives:

• To protect them from environmental calamities at night.

• To protect them from unwanted and unwarded abuse

• To inculcate feeling of belongingness (as to learn to live with others as a family).

• To motivate them towards rehabilitation.

• The development of a strategic plan for the coordination of activities (including prevention, treatment and rehabilitation) directed at improving the health (in its broadest sense) and welfare of local population of street children.

• To be a role model for other organizations and government so that they can benefit from it and develop meaningful programs on their own.

• To provide opportunities to get skill development training thus enabling them for better future adjustments in life.

• To re-unite street children with their families whenever possible and help the family members understand their needs better.

• To instill a sense of future and hope to provide them all possible assistance to build a positive self-image.

• To provide support and opportunities to reintegrate them well in the socio-economic stream with self respect

       Services:

                              1. Bathing:

Bathing facility not only for hygiene purpose but also to change the habit towards healthy life will be provided, it will totally depend on individual’s need that SLC want to have shower at night or in morning. 

2. Laundry/Washing:

Facility to cleanup their clothes will be provided. It will nurture a sense of cleanliness and indirectly to take interest in the betterment of their life. 

3.      Meal:

Breakfast and Lunch will be provided to the children involved with skill development classes.

Supplementary food will be introduced in Night Time Shelter. It can be light snacks as tea/milk and biscuit. This service will motivate SLC, this will develop healthy habit. 

4.      Experience Sharing Session:

It will work as a catharsis and will be facilitated by motivators.

Experience sharing session can be beneficial for the socialization of SLC and to motivate them towards life skill’s education. Social motivators can introduce exercises of anger management or other exercises to manage those behavior patterns which are risky and which they also want to change.   

Skill Development Program (self-dependence):

It is planned to initiate a skill development program at day time. SLCs who are directly associated with Azad Foundation’s services will be scrutinize for the program. Those SLCs will get health and psychological services and meal; non-formal education from DIC, night shelter from Azad’s night shelter and will learn skills from skill development program. Support will be provided in placement for the successful SLCs. Building of the night shelter will be utilized for the skill development program.

This program not only makes them independent but it will also develop self respect among them. It will also help them to become an effective member of the society. Age criteria for Skill development class is 14-17 yrs of age.

Suggested courses are:

• Arts and Craft
• Paper making
• Bakery/Confectionary items  
• Tailoring/Embroidery (will be introduced later)
• Wood Craft

Vocational training will be provided to SLCs according to their interest and age.

Job placement:

Job placement is a main feature of the rehabilitation. Successful candidates will be placed properly according to their skills. Job placement will help SLCs to make them independent and these children can play their vital role according to the societal norms.

Reunification with family:

Night Time Shelter can play an important role in reunification of SLCs with their families. Those street children who have a chance to rehabilitate, will than learn how to adapt and adjust in living with others and thus with families