The Educational Sponsorship Program was started
by BSSK in the year 1980. The program was initiated
to enable the children to grow in their own families
and to promote de-institutionalization. As there are
quite a few institutions doing the same kind of work
in Pune, BSSK has turned its attention towards
smaller towns such as Chiplun and Aurangabad [in 1995],
Dhule [in 1999] and Sangli [in 2000].
The Educational Sponsorship Program aims at protecting
and retaining the child within the family, thereby
strengthening the family unit of a child. Poverty results
in school dropouts and sometimes children have to work
to support their families. BSSK helps deserving students
pursue their education, thus improving the child’s
future prospects and prevents destitution, institutionalization
and juvenile delinquency. The basic objectives of the
program are as under:
- Prevent children from being
deprived of schooling due to poverty.
- Prevent child labour and juvenile delinquency.
- Encourage poor people to educate their children.
- Encourage girls to complete their schooling and
help them to become self reliant and responsible women
of tomorrow.
- Promote the small family norm and de-addiction.
- Raise standard of health and living of poor communities
through the integrated approach.
Community Welfare services are the only way to nourish a child’s life in an underprivileged family. At BSSK we reach out to the community through the child.
Every child is different from other and every family is different from other. What makes people come together and be common is the similar culture and their common behavior.
Child is considered to be gods gift all over the world. The parents do any thing and every thing for the betterment of their children. As child grows he or she needs to be not only independent but is also expected to give a helping hand and support to the family members.
The life of a child in a slum or in a poor economic group is some what different from that of a child from a well to do family.
Due to rapid urbanization and need for the employment many families migrate to the cities in search of job. This results in the congestion and many social problems in the slums. The problems like alcoholism, poverty, child marriages, robery etc prevail more in the slums. Our beneficiary group is full of uncertainty about getting the job and thus irregular income. These are all less educated or illiterate with no skill which can help them to earn their livelihood in a peaceful manner.
The houses are small or as big as a single room of 10x10 sq.feet area. Usually the roof of the house is made up of tin sheets. The walls are made up of bricks and mud. The floor is made up of cement. There is a door for ventilation. All in one room i.e kitchen, living room, bedroom, dinning room and a small corner of room to take bath.
Usually the mothers are domestic servants and have to leave house early in the morning. The fathers are casual laborers and work on daily wages. Their work is full of hard ships and also exhausting.
There is lot of sex discrimination in the Indian culture especially in the lower economic group. The rules for female child is different than for the male child. This includes her behaviour, her freedom to go out of the house, her responsibilities towards the family members, etc. This may be to safeguard the female child from getting exposed to social evils.
All these things not only suppress the personality of the child but create a negative attitude towards the future life. Through our integrated approach, we try to increase the family’s standard of health and living condition.
For a child to have a better future it is essential for the child to have education. Children with average intelligence, who are hard working, well motivated to study and are financially poor are given educational sponsorship assistance from BSSK.
Their school needs are taken care of by providing them with educational material. Home and school visits are conducted and appropriate guidance is given to the student.
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