Our Vidya Sagar Vikas Kendra project in Thane is a community development project that aims to provide holistic support for the children of commercial sex workers as well as physically and mentally challenged children. The project is unique as it targets not only children, but also their families. Our project is comprised of three community centres located in different parts of Thane’s slum areas. This year, we impacted the lives of over 430 people in these communities. The programmes run by the project include crèche (daycare), non-formal education, self-help groups for women, women’s development training, programmes for senior citizens, and a residential shelter for children.

We are extremely proud of our achievements in Thane and of our work to improve the lives of these children and families. We aspire to give a new direction to these children and to set an example of community welfare in Mumbai’s slums.

For the 2009-10 Fiscal Year:

• 140 children enrolled in the crèche programme
• 85 youth involved in the non-formal education programme
• 30 vulnerable and/or abandoned girls living at the residential shelter
• 175 women received vocational training

Programme highlights in 2009-2010:

• All of our children were provided with supplementary nutrition, medical care and school fees as well as accessories such as bags, books, uniforms, shoes, and raingear.
• Many activities were organized including outings to gardens, a water park, and a vocational camp at Kamangaon in Vasai.
• A summer vacation camp was arranged for children aged 6-16 years. The children participated in arts and crafts activities, dancing and singing.
• A training programme on risk reduction from disasters and climate change was conducted for our women’s group by the Saritsa Foundation. Over 100 women attended the programme, where they learned techniques for surviving various natural and man-made disasters.