VOICE - Helping Street Children Write Their Future

VOICE uses interpersonal communication strategies in an effort to build meaningful and long-lasting relationships with street children and the communities in which they live. VOICE representatives work to stay constant touch with the children in an effort to earn their trust and at the same time help them understand how imperative education is. VOICE offers 10 different programmes, which are designed to focus on the entire child, meeting intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs in order to help shape complete individuals. VOICE's outreach efforts reflect the conviction that, by delaying entry into the labour force and acquiring schooling, children become more productive and will eventually be better able to control their lives.

VOICE brings primary education to wherever street children are - on a platform of the railway station at Andheri, for instance - as well as at three in-house centres in Dadar, Andheri West and Andheri East. As part of the organisation's holistic approach, in addition to teaching the basics of the three Rs (reading, writing, and arithmetic), values such as regularity (attending the classes daily), punctuality, cleanliness, responsibility, perseverance and a sense of duty and service are emphasised. Life skills are also a core part of Swadhar, a full-time, 5-year programme centring on values, vocational skills, and discovery and nurture of each individual's talents. Along with their education, participants are given a "family" environment, but at the same time are expected to observe a fairly strict code of conduct. The students are paid a monthly stipend, and are taught to be financially responsible. As part of a programme called Uday, mobile shoe-shine boys have an opportunity to seek alternative employment through a process of education, skill training, and awareness-building. Vocational, income-generating skills taught as part of other VOICE programmes include screen-printing, tailoring, stationary-making, computer literacy, decoration of diyas (earthen lamps) during Diwali, and making wrapping paper, paper bags, and greeting cards.

The organisation also stresses the positive values of love, friendship, and honesty using interactive, entertaining strategies such as educational games, storytelling, play-acting, and group singing. To make learning appealing, "[t]he educational process is made fun through the inclusion of songs, games, stories, and even dramatics." Music is one of the organisation's key means of motivating street children to learn and develop; its use is based on the belief that music is a multi-faceted medium of learning. VOICE explains that music "is not only an important cultural component, but it also provides relief to body and mind, and has a soothing, therapeutic effect." For instance, Project Sur-aur-Sangeet teaches expression, rhythm, and note literacy through music. Songs are taught in both Hindi and English, and are used for a variety of different purposes, such as prayers, or to reinforce a particular lesson. In the process of learning to read notes, understand rhythm and develop an ear for melody, the children are simultaneously exposed to the principles of discipline, practice, and goal setting. "While a song may initially be encountered with frustration and incertitude, the children know that it is only a matter of practice before they will be able to master something that is initially perceived as 'impossible'." VOICE teaches students to play traditional Indian instruments, such as the tabala and harmonium, as well as other instruments, such as the guitar and keyboard.

The mobilisation of children to participate in their own learning is a key VOICE strategy. As part of the music programme described above, the children are encouraged and enabled to pass on their knowledge to others. After having completed 40 lessons of recorder playing, the older children begin to instruct other younger children. "This allows us to not only expose as many children as possible to music, but also reinforces the knowledge and understanding of the older children." To cite another example, Bal Sabha is a children's forum designed to help children cultivate their minds through dialogue. Children are encouraged to articulate their thoughts and feelings freely and to respect differing points of view on various topics. This programme is conducted and managed by the children themselves. Similarly, the educational materials that VOICE has developed are designed to meet the particular needs of street children in that they based on the realities of the children's life experiences. (VOICE plans to further develop its worksheets for language
and math, educational games, and stories and poems, and to make them available to other organisations.)

VOICE contends that, without the safety and support of a caring family and a structurally sound home, education becomes more difficult, if not impossible. As part of its Saheli programme, VOICE reaches out to women whom the children live with, and counsels them to support the children's education and to build their capacity with regard to hygiene, health, and family-related issues. Organisers also connect with parents and relatives of these children in an effort to make change. When they sense that these adults are reluctant to allow their children to stop begging or give up their money-generating work, they go to railway stations and informally talk to them, share their concerns, and over time, try to gain their confidence. Furthermore, the children are taken on field trips that are designed to foster a sense of family and togetherness, apart from being educational.

VOICE is also working to meet the particular educational, vocational, and development needs of girls who do not have such safe, supportive living environments. As part of Project Sanjivani, VOICE is building a centre to house 80-100 female street children and expose them to VOICE's programmes. VOICE has found it difficult to retain young girls in recent years - even though they are often bright students - because they are forced into childhood marriages or sold into prostitution. After assessing the need for education of the girls living at the centre VOICE will enroll them at local schools for a formal education. When they return "home", they will engage in various learning programmes with VOICE teachers, houseparents, and their fellow housemates, through a curriculum that has been designed by VOICE to be beneficial for children coming from backgrounds such as theirs. (VOICE plans to use some of the products produced by the children in their vocational training, particularly in diya making and screen-printing, to help make the centre financially self-sufficient.)

Children, Education, Economic Development.

According to VOICE, the United Nations defines a street child as, "Any child for whom the street is the habitual abode and/or a source of livelihood." It is estimated that there are 250,000 such street children in Mumbai. These children perform such menial, unskilled jobs as rag picking, scavenging garbage, polishing shoes, selling drugs, or begging. In VOICE's estimation, this type of "exploitative life produces such negative effects as stunted growth, increased susceptibility to disease, and psychological scarring. This work also deprives the children of an education that will allow them the mental growth necessary to escape this degradation." VOICE programmes are grounded in the belief that dignity and self-worth can exist even in the most degraded circumstances.

As of early 2006, 250 children were participating in VOICE's programmes; of these 250, VOICE enrolled 153 into the local schools. Four of these students topped their respective classes in 2005, "showing what street children can do if only given the chance and the proper support." Almost all of VOICE's students have also given up begging.