Friends of Salaam Baalak Trust
(FoSBT)
News & Events
News
India
Delhi as the street kids see it. Nigel Richardson joins an ex-runaway for a unique look at the life of the city's homeless children - The Telegraph »
Krishnan Guru Murphy on the gap between rich and poor, gay rights, street children and urban life in Delhi and Mumbai - The Independent »
Funding Problems
2009 will be remembered by SBT's Trustees as a year when various sources of funding dried up. Individual and corporate donors were affected by the recession, US foundations by the Madoff scandal and the Delhi government's contribution towards SBT (and indeed all similar NGOs) has stopped until they manage to sign a new agreement. This last factor means that SBT received no basic state funding for the children its care - although there remain specific projects, like the mobile bus, which receive funding from Delhi state. For any more detailed information on these issues, contact Nick Thompson via
FoSBT
SBT has just acquired a new girls shelter home in central Delhi. Watch this space for details.
2 Major New Projects
Other developments were more positive - in fact, it seems ironic to talk about major new developments in the context of a funding crisis. But that is how things have worked out - in one case because a shelter has been built and paid for by the Delhi Metro, and in another because a long-term plan for a girls' shelter is due for completion:
Jan 2010 - opening of new boys' shelter home
The first entirely new boys' shelter building in SBT's twenty years is now open at Tis Hazari, north of Old Delhi station. The magnificent new 3-storey building (right) - has been built, paid for and equipped by the Delhi Metro and will be run by SBT, for the first 5 years at least. It has:
- 3 dormitories for up to 120 boys, divided into school-going, open school (self-study curriculum) and vocational training, and
- a night shelter for street children who would otherwise be at Metro stations (the 21st century Delhi version of the railway station kids SBT started working with) or in the local community. This will also serve as the short-stay shelter for children who contact in central Delhi who contact Childline - for which SBT is the local operator.
March 2010 - ? acquisition of new girls' shelter
The agreement, concluded some time ago (before the funding crisis) to build a new girls' shelter is about to be finalised, and there's a last push for the extra funds SBT needs to provide to complete the purchase. SBT already has one girls' shelter but outside the Delhi city boundary: there is a pressing need for more girls' accommodation in Delhi itself. More to follow.
Events
Salaam Bombay Screening
Thanks to all those who came to the screening of Mira Nair's classic at the National Film Theatre on 5 December. The event, run by FoSBT and Tongues on Fire was a huge success, with over 150 tickets sold, a large amount of money raised in the auction and by donations, and a great time had by all who came to see the film, meet and quiz Mira Nair, and get to know Vicky Roy, the SBT graduate cum international photographer, on his return from studying in New York. Photos of the event will be posted here soon.
Coming up in 2010
Please contact us for details of upcoming events.