Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) provides food, shelter, health care and education to these kids

Pune :

Ghar Mulanche (children’s home) an initiative of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has been playing a vital role in transforming the lives of children living on the platforms of Pune railway station.

The SSA has been providing lodging and boarding for these children at the Dadoji Kondev school in Kasba Peth. Most of these platform children study at the PMC-run Dadasaheb Gaikwad School, while some study at the night-school.

Raju Yadav is a case in point. He was just six years old when he fled from home in Nashik and was found wandering on the Pune railway station. Today, after being reunited with his family, Raju works as a porter at the station and sends money to his family.

More importantly, even as he loads and unloads goods from trains, Raju is pursuing Class XII in hardware networking and wants to complete his graduation.

Ghar Mulanche, is a brainchild of SSA project officer Subhash Swami, who alongwith his team launched the initative in 2003. Over 200 children from different parts of the country have benetitted from the project.

Speaking to Sakal Times on Friday, Swami said, “There are many children who do not get education despite the constitutional amendment which guarantees the Right to Education to every child in the country. One segment which does not get education is the children on the railway platforms. So we decided to provide them education.”

According to Swami, the Railway Police bring the children to them. “There are several NGOs and volunteers who have helped us in this initiative. There were many obstacles while implementing this initiative. The most important one was to improve the health of the children and beat their addiction to inhaling whiteners,” Swami said.

Programme Head Rajesh Thombare said Pune was the perhaps the only city which had continued this initiative. “Some of our students have married and have settled with down with families. This programme has been like a catalyst to provide them jobs. Our main aim was ensure that they did not get involved in crime,” Thombare said.

source: http://www.sakaaltimes.com / Home> Pune> Detail News / by Nikil Bapat /