Rescue and Rehabilitate Victims:
Media Campaigns
Trainings, workshops & seminars
Cultural and religious supported gender based violence in general and child sexual abuse in particular is widely prevalent in all part of Nepal. There is limited information available as few studies have been conducted in the areas of child sexual abuse and exploitation. And cases of sexual abuse are significantly prevalent among adolescents and children as around 30% of street children were victim of the worst form of sexual abuses, 70% were exposed to different forms of pornography (CPCS-VOC 2008). This program runs campaigns and awareness session to aware children, their families and concerned authorities & stakeholders on child sexual abuse. This program aims to raise awareness on child sexual abuse, and protect children from sexual abuse and reduce such incidents in the future. This program has three major areas of working which includes; awareness and advocacy, capacity building, and rescue victim of child sexual abuse. Training & workshops on child sexual abuse and capacity building program is organized to stakeholders including teachers, police, doctors etc. On the other hand, the major activity of this program is to support on rescue and rehabilitation of abused children. It provides psychosocial, legal and other essential support to the children & their families.
VOC has started the Foster Family Project, which has made possible the de-institutionalization process. Foster family is a family which provides family like environment to children who live with other family in a support of organization. This is an alternative way to reintegrate children in a family those who don't have their own family and are not ready to settle independently in the community. The main aim of foster family project is to develop children in family environment where they can learn the role of each member in the family while living in the society. VOC has piloted an innovative foster care approach at community level, something very new in Nepal. Hence, VOC is working hard in coordination with local authority towards developing foster care law & environment in Nepal by assessing the children & family for the foster care and lobbying with concerned stakeholders for formulating foster care policies in Nepal.
Children who have completed high school, and youth from vulnerable families or who are not interested to join formal school due to their age gap are the target group of this self reliance building program. They are referred to provide professional and technical skills which help to find the way for their future. As Vocational Training is a fundamental part of VOC, it helps youths to gain professional skills that led them to have access to job opportunities and develop a stable socio-economic life. The Job Placement unit provides support to those beneficiaries who have completed the training course and are ready to enter into the job market. Vocational Training opportunity is provided to the children living in Drop in and Preparation Center especially to those who are not interested to continue their study because of their age gap. It also involves youth from vulnerable families and sexually abused children. The vocational training program networks with different training centers in order to join them for various training opportunities. Regular follow-up is conducted during their training to know the condition of their progress. Upon the completion of the training program, youth are assisted to job placement opportunities as well.
The children without parental care are reintegrated into the community. VOC reintegrates them in community by providing vocational training, formal or technical education, accommodation, job placement etc. Until they are not self reliant, VOC supports for their rented room including other necessary stuffs, food, transportation, etc. In this way somehow they come to more familiar with the community and being socialized that helps to make them a responsible person.
As children understand the importance of family and show their interest to reunite with their family, they are reintegrated in their family. When children come into Drop in Center, the reintegration unit starts to track families from that day. They regular follow up and visit their home to make such families enable to care of their children after reintegration through psychosocial counseling/support, legal support, income generation support etc. On the other hand, children are prepare to understand the importance of family and make them self reliant through life skills/vocational trainings, non formal education/awareness activities, etc. while in the rehabilitation process.
The rehabilitation of street children often is a difficult, complex, and long process in case of orphans, traumatized or abandoned children as reintegration is not easy for them. So such children along with other children having family prepare themselves for socialization and self reliant in preparation center established by VOC at Lubhoo in Lalitpur district. This center helps children to prepare them through changing their behaviors which they have adopted in the street. It provides home like environment where children get services like food, accommodation, clothes, health care, legal support, psychosocial counseling & therapy, formal & non formal education etc. In the center, children get involves in recreational activities, life skill trainings, awareness sessions etc. which supports them for their physical, mental and skill development that leads them to become a self dependent and live a dignified life in the society. How do we work? Pre-information: Children coming in the Drop in Center get to know about this Preparation Center. After they get refer from Drop in Center, Preparation Center organize a meeting with the children and provide basic information about rules & regulations applies in this center. At that time, an agreement is prepared with basic points to make the children more responsible. Reception/Welcoming: Children get information and opportunity to visit Preparation Center while in the Drop in Center. After admitted to this center, they are welcomed by organizing introduction session with the previous children and staff to help them adjust in the new environment in an easy way. Psychosocial and Psychological support: Street children need psychosocial and psychological care to evolve towards more socialized behavioral pattern. This care involves both consultations and walk-in counseling. Qualified and experienced psychologist intervenes for the standardization of mental health process of the children, providing psychotherapy for treatment of post traumatic stress disorder syndrome when required. Other Services are: - Health Care - Food/Accommodation/Clothes - Non Formal Education/Awareness - Life Skills - Recreational Activities - Legal Support
This is a flexible and adoptable service center for children living or working in the street which opens 24 hrs a day located in Gwarko, Lalitpur. It aims to provide them immediate needs such as psychosocial care, first aid, food, shelter, clothes etc. In order to motivate such children towards leaving their street life it introduces a friendly and fun environment in the center by organizing recreational and creative activities. Social worker listens to children properly to make them feel comfortable and help to create opportunities for them in order to move towards a dignified social life. Children coming into this center are referred to socialization center if they show their interest to abandon street life and adopt family life. How do we work? Reception/Welcoming: The center welcomes children to provide any services available there at any time and are free to participate in any activities. There are no any boundaries where they can come just to sleep, only for meal, only for bath or only for play etc. As the children have equal flow inside the center and outside in the street they inform other children in the street about this center and motivate them to come in this center. Psychosocial care/support/counseling: If a child shows a typical behavior or has severe psychosocial problem, social worker refers to psychologist for intensive individual counseling. In such case, psychologist deals with the problem faced by children that help to cope with the anxiety and depression caused by their traumatic experience and they begin rebuilding their self esteem and confidence. Health care: At the Welcome Center first aid service is available for 24 hrs to all children. Health check-up and treatment is provided to those children who are sick and needs treatment. If they require a higher medical attention they are referred to nearby hospital or private health clinic. Shelter (accommodation, food & clothes): In order to meet the immediate needs & protection of street children, the center provides food, accommodation, and clothes. While food and accommodation is available to all the children who visits welcome center, but clothes are only provided to those who regularly stay at the center. Non formal education/awareness: This activity enables street children to develop their knowledge on nutrition, hygiene, drug abuse, sexual abuse, HIV/AIDS prevention, as well as develop skills in reading, writing, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Recreational activities: The center offers different kinds of indoor and outdoor recreational activities in order to develop physical, mental, psychosocial and emotional wellbeing of children. These activities are crucial to keep children engaged in the center and make them avoid their street life. Family tracing: While children start to visit this center, with the consensus of children, the social worker refers the case to reintegration team. The reintegration team conducts family tracing and assessment in order to ensure the existing family relationship and find out the reason that led children to the street which ultimately helps to address the problem effectively.
Outreach or Street work is the base of the street children program to establish initial contact and foster relations with children living or working in the street. During this period, social worker provides information about the risks of street life, ways of protection and about the VOC's Drop in Center (Welcome Center) and services available for them. Through different awareness activities, children are made aware about the importance of family, education, personal hygiene, HIV/AIDs, crime, risk of drug abuse, sexual abuse etc. This engagement of the social worker with children encourages and motivates them to visit Drop in Center if they are interested to get services from the center. How do we work? Identifying or mapping possible meeting points: The best way to connect with children on the streets is to get out on the streets with them. There are few places where the concentration of street children is comparatively high. Social workers identify the meeting points and coordinate with like-minded organization before intervention to avoid overlapping. Street visits: The outreach team visits the streets regularly. The team develops a bond with these children by talking and listening to them. The team talks to children about health, risks of street life, preventive measures, and the services available at the Drop in Center if they decide to go there. Update data/information: To update on the situation, the number of children on the street is reported & updated in a daily basis by street educator (social worker). It is compiled on monthly, quarterly and yearly basis report according to the age, education, address and street living period of the children with visited location and awareness session provided to them. Furthermore, problems and challenges in the street are also recorded for further analysis. Formation of street children clubs: Social worker motivates street children to form children's club. With a support of social worker, such club organizes special events and activities. The main objective of the club is to involve them into actions, make them responsible, and feeling them they are heard and to build a connection between the street and the Drop in Center. This club is also a forum for discussion, to conduct awareness sessions and to develop their ability for making decisions and accepting the changes. Coordination and Networking: Street Field Worker Forum has been established among the street worker. This Forum organize regular meeting to share and update the situations of the children in the street of Kathmandu valley. Sometimes Forum organize joint street visit to provide such information to the street children in the spots. Besides it organize some workshop to develop the capacity of the street worker.
Besides family development, children development is also concerned side for the prevention. Children need to have knowledge of their rights and should know the importance of their family for their well development. But they do not easily understand unless they are motivated and informed by doing certain activities with their own involvement. So, children are participated in set of activities after school i.e. recreational, health, education, vocational training, counseling, tutoring, arts and culture etc. Each of the social centers is running remedial class, awareness activities, recreational activities and parents & child activities each day in a week from Tuesday to Friday. How do we work? Child friendly and awareness raising activities: Child/youth friendly activities are implemented to supports and facilitate the physical, mental and social development of vulnerable children/youths. It has provided non-formal education for children out of school, remedial courses for children with learning difficulties, and awareness raising activities on hygiene, substance/drug abuse, nutrition, HIV-AIDS prevention, child rights and protection, child sexual abuse etc. Child Club is established in each of the project area through which children are initiating themselves for innovative ideas. Some of the Child Club has started Child Development Kazana which is a mini cooperative concept where children deposit certain money by cutting off their tiffin cost in a daily basis. This helps to develop saving habits among the children and the collected amount will be helpful for the future purpose. Formation of Child Protection Committee: In the project areas, we orient parents, teachers, children and other stakeholders on child protection and the role of different stakeholders in protecting and promoting the rights of children in general children and vulnerable children. In order to establish a permanent structure in the community for child protection, we form child protection committees at school and community as appropriate. There is participation of teachers, parents and other stakeholders in such committee. Furthermore, the equal participation of both girls and boys is also ensured in those committees. The committee collects the issues of child rights violation and addresses those problems. In order to regularize the committee, a guideline of child protection committee is also developed.
It follows a no dole-out policy and aims at supporting poor families' capacities to solve problems on their own in order to progress towards increased autonomy, stability and reduced poverty. This program focuses vulnerable families living in urban low rented or slum area to improve their living condition through psychosocial counseling and referral to other existing services as per their needs. It applies Family Development Methodology to work with such families to support on health, education, legal, psychosocial and economic conditions. In each selected area there is a social center which is established to provide counseling and referral services. Group discussion, individual and family counseling are conducted regularly in these centers. How do we work?
VOC believes that every child should be brought up in a family environment and so this project assists the children to reintegrate into their families and communities. This works simultaneously with families as well as children for successful reintegration. In one side, it enhances the capacity of their families and on the other side works with children to prepare them for social and attitudinal skills. Children are reintegrated in family, community and foster family according to their needs and conditions. The reintegration support is given to the vulnerable families before and/or during the time of children is in the process of reintegration. Such support includes counseling, job training, health care, educational support, and income generation support to the family members to ensure the child placement is feasible, safe, in the child's best interest and sustainable. The objectives of Reintegration Project are:
This project focuses on preparing children for reintegration into their family or community by ensuring their growth in family like environment. So, VOC has established Preparation Center, also known as Socialization Center, for this purpose which has a capacity of providing services to 40 children at once. While children coming in the Drop in Center are encouraged to leave their street life and as they show their interest to adopt family life they are referred to this center. This center helps children to find their unique ability and prepares children for family or community reintegration emphasizing their education and sustainability. The objectives of Rehabilitation Project are:
This project provides information to the children living or working in the street about risk of street life and motivates them to leave street life. It has two steps; first one is social workers visit streets to establish relationship with children through various activities as a part of outreach or street work. And the next is, as children known about Drop-in Center established by VOC, come to seek services for emergency need and involve in the activities provided by the center. Children spending more time in the center help them to keep away from street life. The objectives of Rescue Project are:
This project aims to prevent children coming into the street by eliminating a very root cause. For that, it contributes to enhance capacities of vulnerable families by supporting them in health, education, legal, psychosocial guidance and economic development. Mostly it focuses to work with marginalized families and children in urban low rented or slum areas with the aim to improve their living condition. This project works for family development and child development. The objectives of Prevention Project are:
VOC has developed comprehensive program for street children i.e from street to family or community by improving their life skills and capacity for their adjustment in the society. It has introduced a Ladder Methodology through which it contributes to strengthen children development in every step and empower them towards sustainability to ensure their growth in family environment. This program includes; Prevention, Rescue, Rehabilitation and Reintegration.