:: News Updates ::

~: Okonir Snehalaya (A day-care centre) at Chandmari :~

A day Care Programme was started for the children of single destitute working parents 24th June 2007. The centre provides all the facilities like toys, games, mid-day meal etc. They are also taught alphabets and rhymes. At present there are 22 children coming to this centre. In the morning the parents come and drop their children leaving them in the care and protection of loving care-givers for the whole day while they go for their own work. In the evening they take them back home. These children are very vulnerable. This is a preventive measure

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~: Snehalaya Day 2008 :~

On 8^th January 2008, Snehalaya Day was observed at the Rabindra Bhawan, Guwahati. Children of Snehalaya put up a Drama, titled Ghar (House) Directed by Abhinash Sarma a noted Drama Director of Assam. They also sang and danced to mark the occasion. The function was attended by a capacity crowd of about 800 persons including many prominent people. The former Vice Chancellor of Guwahati University, Dr. Amarjyoti Chowdhury was the Chief Guest at the function. The Bharti Airtel presented scholarships to the deserving children who are going to the school. A short-story Book titled “Mon Mor Kande Re” based on the real life stories of children written in an imaginative and fictional style by Baby Bhuyan, an renowned short-story writer and singer, was released on the occasion by the Vice Chancellor. The production of the book was funded by Airtel.

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~: Juvenile Justice Services :~

The Director of Snehalaya, Fr. Lukose Cheruvalel SDB has been appointed by the Government of Assam as a Member of the Juvenile Justice Board of Kamrup District. This Board is the competent authority to adjudicate matters relating to Juveniles in Conflict (Contact) with the Law. Further, he is also a member of the Drafting Committee of State Rules related to Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000/amended in 2006.

Snehalaya staff and children under the leadership of Assistant Director, Fr. Thadeus Kujur, SDB, conducted several therapeutic sessions for children in the Observation Home run by the Government at Boko. Snehalaya has facilitated the release of several children who were detained in the Observation Home for petty crimes.

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~: Children’s Assistance Centre :~

A new street presence at Adabari Bus Station has been recently opened. About 200 buses come and go from the station on a daily basis. There are slumps around this Bus Station frequented by many rag-pickers and out-of-school children. After a month-long study of the situation in the Bus Station and after building up a good caring community , we opened up this centre. We are toying with the idea of setting up a drop-in centre here with the possibility of literacy classes2 staff  members who look-out for unaccompanied children to help them

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~: Psychosocial Support Project :~

For the last 11months, Snehalaya have been providing psycho social support to children in Government-run children's Homes and Observation Homes at Nagaon (120 KM from Guwahati) and Jorhat (200 KM from Guwahati). Basically the project consists of providing counseling services to children, organizing therapeutic (music, dancing, drawing and painting, yoga, cinema show) activities for them. We also conduct capacity building programs for the staff of these homes. This is a project conceived and designed in collaboration with the Child Protection Unit of UNICEF and sponsored by them.

Snehalaya is launching very soon a major Project consisting of Shelter Homes for unaccompanied children (at Shillong and Guwahati), a city Administrative Office-cum-Documentation Centre, A Child Rights Centre (for Awareness creation, Advocacy, Legal Aid to Juveniles, Research etc. at Guwahati) This project has been approved by the Government of Germany in collaboration with Don Bosco Mission Office at Bonn and Child Aid Network, a German NGO.

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~: Hlk / Mcs Program :~

Under HLK/MCS Program, Snehalaya has contacted and documented the personal profile of 1000 children at risk in Guwahati city. These children are most vulnerable and are like to become street children or victims of trafficking. They are Snehalaya’s next target group

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~: Special Service :~

Reunion Service:

Snehalaya excludes no children. All children in distress are welcome at Snehalaya. It takes into its fold even sick and physically and mentally challenged children. Among the present children,  one suffers from Down’s Syndrome while another suffers from epilepsy. There are a few who are mentally challenged. There are physically challenged children and even young adults who are on wheel chair because their legs have been amputated after  major accidents. Two of them are running a shop and doing good business in grocery and Video CDs.

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~: Vocational Training :~

Tailoring:

Snehalaya has a Tailoring Unit in the Children’s Home premise, Dhirenpara. There are 8 boys undergoing training at present.

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Driving:

For senior boys there is also the opportunity to undergo driving lessons which will enable them to take driving as their profession.

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Apprenticeship in various skills

Snehalaya also places boys in printing presses, restaurant, shops etc as apprentices and encourage them to pick up a skill that will help them to stand on their own feet as they grow up.

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Computer Education

Children are gradually introduced to Computer Skill. There are mini computer centers-cum-library at Snehalaya Children’s Home, Dhirenpara and at Jyoti Snehalaya, Beltola and Auxillium Snehalaya. Noonmati

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1. An alert and concerned citizen who befriends and guides missing persons.

2. A person who reports missing cases and guides lost persons to the police station or organizations that deal  with missing persons.

3. A volunteer organization for identification, re-domiciling networking and documentation of missing cases.

Please visit www.missingchildsearch.net for details

Jyotisnehalaya, Ph. No. 0361- 2231629 

ILa Snehalaya, (M) 09435552781

6th June 2007

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