Continuing to accord priority to our work on Aftercare, after the publication of our seminal research on the subject, we rolled out an evidence generation Aftercare Outreach Project (AOP) in Bihar with support of SCPS, Bihar and UNICEF, Bihar. In Bihar, the initial activities in the project entailed a comprehensive needs assessment and situational analysis of Aftercare with interventions in three child care institutions and one Aftercare girls home in the state. A half-day inception consultation with stakeholders from different districts shared the objectives and activities of the project and inputs taken to work collectively on the ground. Directly engaging with the children in the age group of 16 to 18 years, introductory workshops to build a rights-based perspective was conducted with 45 children and 26 young persons. The workshops revolved around an ice-breaking introduction, understanding the perspectives of the participants towards their current circumstances, their idea of the future, knowing about fundamental child rights, transition needs, career awareness, health literacy, financial literacy, social taboos through various theatre-based activities. A one-day training workshop with child protection functionaries from different districts was also conducted on the importance of early transition planning and Aftercare, as mandated by the Juvenile Justice Law and policy.
In Delhi, planning meetings have taken place with corporate partners, donors and government agencies to conceptualize and roll out the AOP. Meetings were organized to strengthen the partnership with Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights on strengthening Aftercare in Delhi through the Aftercare Suvidha Kendra (ASK). Managing Trustee, Dr Kiran Modi also participated in the committee meetings convened by the Delhi Women and Child Development, Govt of Delhi to draft an SoP on Aftercare.
Taking initial steps in Telangana, team member Shrinkhla Chandhok, presented the key findings of the Beyond 18 research study at a conference organized in Hyderabad by civil society organization FORCES on 8th and 9th February 2020. The participating NGOs discussed the rights of orphan children in India.
“The two-day programme on Aftercare is very fruitful for us. The first time we got such an informative session on Aftercare which is very important for elder children of Child Care Institutions. We came to understand various processes involved in preparing children for independent living. We hope that these meetings will be organized every month, and every child who needs support for vocational training or education shall be taken care of through the Aftercare programme.”
....Sunil Kumar Yadav, Legal cum Probation Officer, DCPU, Gaya
