In Navi Mumbai we can arrange volunteering options and internships with three organisations that run homes and programs for street children and their families, orphans and general social work for empoverished slum dwellers.

 

In Navi Mumbai alone there are an estimated 100,000 street children.

Many families from rural areas of India move into the big city in search for a better life. Only rarely they can make their dream of a better life come true. Instead, dwelling in slum areas that are not connected to sanitary systems and without education and professional training, unemployment, low wages and diseases are their everyday concerns. To support their families financially, the children of such families are often working 10-12 hours a day as ragpickers, which gives them a daily income of only 0.8-1 € (1-1.5 USD). Few of these children attend school. Many are suffering from diseases such as tuberculosis or Malaria, and from the results of malnourishment. Many women and young girls are being sexually abused, and many girls are being married at an early age of 14 years due to social and cultural pressure.

 

Other children escape their families due to domestic violence, broken families or negligence, and choose to live with fellow children between railroad tracks, in house entrances or on the street.

 

Mermier Bal Ashram is a Christian home for male street children and orphans, which has been in operations since 2000 by Jan Vikas Society. There are around 80 boys aged 5-18 staying at the centre. In the morning they attend public schools and return to the centre in the afternoon, where they participate in leisure and further learning activities which contribute to the development of personality of the boys. Emphasise is put on Indian culture - the children and youth are always extensively preparing for the participation in cultural festivities. Vaduz Balika Ashram is a similar home for girls. There are around 25 girls living at this home.

 

Volunteers and interns at Mermier Bal and Vaduz Balika Ashram can assist in activities such as giving help with homework, entertainment (sports, games, music, dance, karate...), personality development, life counselling, motivational training for individuals and groups, nutrition and health education (e.g. about HIV/AIDS), teaching skills such as computer knowledge, tayloring, carpentry, printing, office work etc, and also in cooperation with further homes of Jan Vikas Society and other organizations, just as communications. This is suitable for participants from the fields of social work, psychology, education, handcrafts etc. Short-time stays are possible for participants without formal qualification and previous experience.

 

Aarambh is an NGO that supports people living in poverty-stricken areas of Navi Mumbai. Since the NGO's start in 1996, more than 1200 children could be given the opportunity to graduate from public school thanks to the intervention of the NGO's 10 community centres. To guarantee long-term sustainable effect for the child, the NGO's concept is to develop the child's entire family - for instance the mothers are being organised in women's groups where they are being trained to carry out leadership roles in the community.

 

At the community centres young children who don't attend public school are being prepared to be able to get reintegrated into the public school system; for adolescent dropouts there is vocational training including computer lessons, paper-making and block printing. Once completing vocational training, Aarambh is supporting the youth to find a job. 30 of 90 youth who have attended a computer course could subsequently find a job. For school children, Aarambh is paying school fees.

 

There are also educational and vocational training programs for parents, particularly women. The idea is to make them achieve a higher income so that they don't depend on the labour of their child to support the family. There is a "savings group" to allow women to get finance for investments into their small business; women are also being supported to open bank accounts.

 

The centre further runs health checkups and health education programs.

 

It is the concept of Aarambh that youth who have benefitted from the intervention of the NGO should "give something back" to their community. Older youth for instance are taking care and tutoring younger children at the centres.

 

Within the community that is being served by Aarambh, there are around 20 special needs children.

 

Internships and volunteering with Aarambh is possible for participants from the subject areas of social work, education, special education etc. 

 

The Christian Charity Eternal Hope is active in a variety of social work in Mumbai. It has been founded in 1990 by P.K. Joshua who converted to Christianity, gave up his previous office job and set his goal to help people in need. He traveled to Calcutta to meet and learn from Mother Theresa and after returning to Mumbai, he started his charitable involvement together with his wife Rachel.

Today, the charity is running two schools in the slum of Turbhe in New Mumbai in which in two shifts 225 children are receiving education every day. More than 1000 children could get education during the past years and thus considerably improve their chances in life. Until 2009 the slum area didn’t have any government school and the schools of the Eternal Hope Charity had been the only locations for education in the slum. Meanwhile, there is a government school, in Turbhe, however only 30-35% of the slum children are attending it. The focus of the Eternal Hope schools has therefore shifted to preparing the kids who are older than the regular age of school enrolment to pass the entry exams of the government school in their respective age level. Further, extra classes are given to students who attend government school. Shift 1 is every day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and shift 2 (extra classes) is from 1:30 – 5 p.m.

 

Outside the city, in Panvel, an area where in a couple of years the new airport of Mumbai will be constructed, the Charity is running an orphanage for kids aged 5-10 years. On a large natural plot there is one building with two dormitories and a class room, where at the moment 70 children are living and being taught. The plan is, within a few years to operate a school of high standard at the location for up to 300 children of wealthy parents. Through the school fees these parents are expected to pay, the education of the orphan children would be funded. This plan at the moment cannot yet be implemented due to a lack of funds. At the moment the Charity is constructing a staff house on the grounds where volunteers can stay paying some rent.

 

Volunteers and interns can teach the kids in all subjects, both at the slum in Turbhe as at the orphanage in Panwel; it is possible to teach in English. In Panwel it is further possible to care for the children, spend time with them, play with them etc.

 

Further fields of activity the charity is engaged with include helping young female sex workers to quit prostitution, helping elderly people, handicapped people and drug addicts, supporting women, and developing communities. Recently Eternal Hope succeeded in facilitating 19 minors the escape from the red light district of Turbhe. Social work volunteers or interns can take part in this work.

 

Another Christian organisation, the Prince and Princess Trust is running a kindergarten in the slum of Indra Nagar in New Mumbai. Volunteers and interns can assist with taking care of preschool age kids.