Contact Points: Outreach and Community
- Lucy
- Jun 1
- 2 min read
When Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT) was first established, in the 1980's, their work was solely outreach and support to street children in the community. One of the charity founder Mira Nair's first activities was providing blankets to children sleeping outside New Delhi Railway Station.
Today, one of SBT's busiest 'Contact Points' sits immediately in front of the same station, atop the Police building.
Those of us who have been on an SBT City Walk might recall walking up the stairs and meeting young, wide-eyed children there. Children who have just arrived, unaccompanied, at the station. Or those who have for some time regarded the streets around the station as their home. Some of the children would be lost. Some abandoned. Others trafficked. Last year 1,114 children were helped here, 107 of whom were younger than ten-years-old.
Eleven SBT Contact Points span the city of Delhi, situated at stations, temples, and slum areas. Workers are both volunteers and those paid by the charity, and include social workers, medical staff, and counsellors. To demonstrate the impact - and breadth of support - these Contact Points have, we're sharing some numbers from two of the centres here.
The Contact Points are not residential, instead offering daytime care through medical attention, food, a space to wash, basic education and creative arts or play. Depending on the circumstances, children can be reconnected with their families, referred to the child welfare court, be settled into one of SBT's seven residential shelter homes for long-term care or receive help for addictions. Children who live on the streets or in slum areas with their families can access food and education, returning to their parents each day.
Without proper documents, children can't be enrolled in school or college and can experience difficulties accessing services and bank accounts, even into adult life. Some families are not able to read or write, may not have access to technology, or may not have the funds to apply; therefore, supporting with documents is a vital service SBT offers via its contact points and shelter homes. As Jafar's story here shows, this can be the first step to improving the outlook for underprivileged children.