just briefly what im doing for everyone who maybe doesn't have any idea (ill try my best, because at times i feel i dont' have any idea too!)
i am working with salaam baalak trust, an NGO that works with street and working children in and around New Delhi Railway Station. we have about 7 contact points, which are centers open only during the day for different types of children to use our facilities - they could be children without parents who have run away, been abandoned, or orphaned in Delhi, OR children who live with their families on the street but in rough conditions or in no house at all. we also have 4 shelter homes, for children who stay with us 24-7, meaning children alone in Delhi (for any reason) but who have decided to come off the street and join us. through all the centers we provide food, education (divided into three types depending on the level and capacity and desire of the child), arts and crafts, counseling, life skills education, fun, medical attention, etc....basically anything the children need.....once the child gets a bit older we encourage them to pursue a career path or attend university until eventually the child is independent and can support himself.
my official title is "coordinator of communications" (impressive, huh?!) but specifically i am overseeing the volunteer program AND the city walk program. City Walk is a guided tour that a british guy started at the trust about 3ish years ago that gives former boys of the trust a platform to simultaneously improve their english communication skills and raise awareness about life on the street. they lead a guided walk around the railway station informing (mostly) tourists about the nitty gritty and fun details of street life - what the children do for food, for work, for fun, why they run away, where they come from, what the dangers are, etc. and the walk includes a few of the centers of our organization so people can have an idea what is being done for the situation of street children. the most powerful part is that the boys will tell their personal stories - why and how they became street children and where they are now thanks to the trust.
for this program, basically i am overseeing day-to-day organizational stuff, but im also trying to improve not only the actual walk (and the guides as people and as employees), but the program itself, by setting in place certain systems and databases to keep track of contacts who come on the walk, using the databases for followup, general marketing to reach a broader audience, presentations and expanding the fundraising possibilities connected to the walk by creating a "gallery" of products made by our children for sale after the walk finishes. as well i am trying to create a "training manual" that can be used to train new guides of the walk, new boys of the trust that can use the walk as a means to become independent. all quite exhausting and exciting...
for the volunteer program, i am essentially starting from scratch, restructuring the whole program so that it is more effective for both volunteers and the organization. again im trying to put systems in place that allows me to gauge what the needs of each center are at any time, what the timetable is like, and even what specific children are interested in and need extra help with, that way i can match volunteers with the skills and interest directly with the center that would benefit the most. but this is all much harder than it sounds. first it requires the participation of every coordinator of every center/program within sbt....and for that i have to sensitize them to the benefit of volunteers and expand their notions of what volunteers are capable of. it also involves trying to apply people from all sorts of backgrounds, with all sorts of interests, and all sorts of time restrictions, to get done projects that by definition are undefined....what a mess. but slowly but surely i am working things out....
for now thats all. i just wanted to fill you in the background of what im doing...next time ill tell you some crazy stories...from work and otherwise. again sorry its taking so long between posts....a one day weekend is NOT ENOUGH - i haven't had even time to take pictures or explore or write or read or anything. sometimes i even think that i miss waiting tables because at least when you are done at night, you are done, no taking it home with you....but then i remember i used to have waitressing nightmares every night, so even that isn't accurate!
ill be back with more (and hopefully pictures too!)
take care everyone...i hope you survived the storm...everyone let me know how you are!
