Dutch solution for street children in India
22.09.2009
Press Release
A group of Dutch businessmen thought of an innovative solution that is as
effective as practical. Street children one helps with a good school and
shelter. As at night schools are empty, with some
modifications it could also be lived in by street children? The concept is now called Rainbow
Homes, a fraction of the cost of building homes, and there are already
10 with 1,200 children living in. The government of India in Hyderabad put on
another 50 Rainbow Homes.
In Rainbow Homes children are permanently housed in schools. The
buildings are equipped with a kitchen, showers, toilets and lockers,
which the average school in India can accommodate between 150 and 200
children. For a sum of 500 euros per child per year, children get, in
addition to training and shelter, clothing (school uniforms), healthy
nutrition and medical care.
If they enter the Rainbow Home, they receive extra tutorials from students from the regular schools. They work together so at the appropriate level.
They integrate so quickly and so to escape the persistent stigma that
children in ordinary homes in India affects.
Street children have very limited opportunities to secure a future
or improve their living conditions. In the Indian cities the problem
of street children last year increased by deterioration of the economy
in rural areas. The youngest children, boys and especially girls, are
thereby vulnerable to exploitation in prostitution as well in the
household of individuals.
The district government of Hyderabad (6 million inhabitants) is
planning to restructure 50 public schools to the insights of the Dutch. The city of Hyderabad is the first city in the world that shows that an effective structural approach
to the problem of street children is possible. District Manager, Navin
Mittal: "We are impressed by the Rainbow Home model and thus we can
make a huge leap in Hyderabad".
Rainbow Homes is an initiative of Partnership Foundation (PF).
This foundation works for 100 percent with volunteers, people with a
background in business. The cost of PF in 2008 totaled 2.5 percent of
revenue. Gerlach Cerfontaine, Paul Rosemöller and Sacha de Boer
constitute the Recommending Committee. Ferd Koolwijk, Founder: "You're obviously
hoping that an idea supported, but the flight that now takes is
enormous. It says something about the potential of a small private
initiative in development. This gives despite everything, the life of many
children a positive twist."