About 20 million children, about 4% of their population in India and higher than people living in Delhi, are orphan. Of them, parents of only 0.3% children have died and rest have been abandoned. The figure is result of a study done by SOS Children’s Village by analyzing data from
National Family Health Survey-3 for the year 2005-06 and the population estimation by the Census of India to find the dark spots for children below the age of 18 in India.
It were the poorer states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, which had higher number of orphan children as compared to richer northern and southern states of India. As a result, the central zone has highest number of orphan children followed by east zone. The two zones also cover most of the naxal affected regions in India.
“Poverty has been a significant contributor in high orphan children in these states,” said Rakesh Jinsi, secretary general of the NGO SOS Children’s Village. “Social unrest and terror — militancy and naxalism — are two another major factors behind the high number of orphans in certain states”.
Orphan children for the study were defined as those abandoned and whose both parents have died. Situation of children with single parent has also been analysed in the study.
India has the highest population of children below the age of 18 — 41% of the total population. Although over 4% of them are orphan as per the study, around 13% of them live with either of their parent.
But what the study highlight is that a large number of children in India struggle to survive leave alone having access to education and other welfare measures. Some of these children end up being trafficked or pushed into illegal works.
“Many of the children who are trafficked are those whose parents have died or they have been abandoned,” said a senior government official.
The only good news the study presents is that the overall estimation of orphan children in%age terms is expected to fall by 2021 although their number will increase from present 20 million to 24 million. However, there is no comparative data to indicate whether the number of orphan children has increased or decreased.
The SOS Children Village did not present the segregated data on sex-ratio these children to find out whether abandoning of the children is based sex of the child or not.
“In case of poor people abandoning is more because of economic reasons than gender,” said Jinsi.
Our Approach:
Pioneer Trad works with the communities, the State governments and the National government to bring lasting changes for the most marginalised children through the following actions:
- Providing them with immunisation and nutrition.
- Ensuring that they have a chance to join formal school.
- Exposing and preventing exploitative child labour practices and running prevention programs.
Love Education and Care home
( Amrit Vidhya Seva)
(A home with divine love and distinct opportunities)
Address: Gerrit Nalam Hospital campus, vadamadurai periya colony, Ernanguppam village, Thiruallore district. PIN 601102, phone; 044- 27695846, mobile: 9176240202
*(Please note that we will not address them as orphans, only for the proposal sake we use the term)
Who are orphans: The orphans are defined as a child under the age of 18 who has either lost one parent or both. Maternal orphan is the one who lost mother, paternal orphan or Double orphan, AIDS orphan mean both parents died due to AIDS
Introduction
It is estimated that there were 20 million orphans in India and in south India alone there were about 3.62 million orphans as per the 2011 census. That means in the next year following more children would have become orphans.
Pioneer trad itself has come into contact with 8 additional kids who have become orphans in the last twelve months since April 2011. Because in India it is estimated that about 50000 die daily, this include men and women leaving the children orphans.
Vision
I will not leave you orphans, so said the lord. The one way in which lord fulfill this promise is through his children the faithful. This service is a direct fulfillment of Lord’s promise that he will not consider any as orphans, because He has made us be born again so that we may be the brethren of the orphans.
Origin: lead by this truth, the lord triggered the initiation of this work through life encounter with two girls, one called Anupriya. She was only 11 two years ago when one day only the one surviving parent the mother suddenly died due to sickness which was due to lack of nutritious food and excess work to support the family. So this made Anu a Double Orphan as per today’s definition. When the death news reached pioneer trad, it was but a rude shock, immediately the word of Jesus came to mind, He said I will not leave you orphan, how will this be true in her life, then the lord inspired as to how that could be done through His children. In the case any it is us the people in the pioneer Trad.
The second is the life of sweety, what a paradox. This girl was only 5 when the mother only parent committed suicide in mid 2006 . Having known the mother and the kids, the news death threw both of us off gear. Jasmine and Lamech sunk into deep sorrow. But something will have to be done to rescue the children. Rebecca was survived by two beautiful daughter, the older called Nithyashree the second sweety with sorrows to experience at the very start of life.
These two incidents were the first ones that moved pioneer trad to consider the emerging need of providing a qualitatively distinct service to the children that become orphans at a very young age.
Amrit Vidhya Seva
This only means love, education and care. These three are the key for the growth of any child. Many children even with parents in India seemed not getting enough input in the three areas. In 2007 pioneer trad started to provide dry ration like rice, Cereals, pulses, oil, nutritious drink etc for health, soap, hair oil, tooth paste etc for personal hygiene, school tuition fee, books, note books, stationeries etc for educational development been provided to these orphans.
In addition during times of festivals these children will also be given new pair of dresses so that they would not feel out of place or neglected. They also were given opportunities of extra learning and hand writing practices during summer vacation.
The need for an In House service
All these years since 2007, pioneer trad was providing these services to the orphan children as home based help. But the following were the limitations encountered
The provisions provided are not utilized on these children sufficiently
The children are able to do well academically because the ground realities like crowded home, blasting TV sets, lack of electricity, and intra family struggles etc.
Ill treatment with in the family time to time affect the kids morale
Hygiene is not a concern; this leads the kids to be infected time to time leading to weak upbringing.
There is no order in the homes in which they are in terms of time and duties discipline
In some houses these kids get poor and humiliating treatment.
These are the reasons why pioneer Trad is now forced to consider institutionalizing this service to the orphans.