History
As technology booms throughout urban India, villages and small communities are left behind. Many impoverished families leave their village in search for work. These seasonal migrants lead wandering lives with whole families settling on hazardous construction sites in hopes to gain a small wage. Internal migrants do not have access to social security and the benefits that come with a permanent residence. A lifestyle such as this sees families with no secure housing, sanitation facilities and limited access to nutritious food and clean water. In response to this ever-growing crisis Sri AnnapoorneswariAnathaswarm Trust® (Saat) responds by strengthening the migrant and poor community in Bangalore.
Sri AnnapoorneswariAnathaswarm Trust® (Saat), since 2000*2001, has been working towards helping children to meet their dreams to get education and have a better life like most other children in society. We enable children to live their dreams, by providing informal education and nutritious food to children of migrant workers. Health checks are conducted on regular basis. We also help children to get educational sponsorship by corporates and individuals. Day care for special children is also supported.
OUR VISION
OUR MISSION
OUR OBJECTIVES
- To prevent child abandonment & child labor.
- To preserve family by meeting their needs through community programs.
- To educate communities on the importance of education.
- To encourage and empower girls towards education and promote gender equality
History - Adoption & Foster Care [Previous Work]
Sri Annapoorneswari Anathaswarm Trust® (Saat), a non-profit, non-government organization, was Registered On 2000-2001 Under The Indian Trusts’ Act Of 1882. The name Sri AnnapoorneswariAnathaswarm Trust® (Saat) means mother’s love in sanskrit. We believed homeless children have a right to experience this love either at the childcare facility or in the foster homes even before they are placed in adoption. Sri AnnapoorneswariAnathaswarm Trust® (Saat), started with the mission to place homeless children with families through adoption. Sri AnnapoorneswariAnathaswarm Trust® (Saat) was one of the ngo’s who pioneered the family foster care system. This helped us to provide quality care to the children with special needs who had to be taken care of at the center.
Migrant Families And Community Development [Transition To Current Work]
In recent years Sri Annapoorneswari Anathaswarm Trust® (Saat) have made a strategic move from adoptions and foster care to family preservation and strengthening for migrant communities. Through our community based rehabilitation program, we reach out to parents struggling to cope with the difficulties of life. In response Sri Annapoorneswari Anathaswarm Trust® (Saat) focuses on three programs, education: transitional and flexible schooling for migrant children as well as vocational tuition; training: regular engagement with families and communities in life-skills training such as nutrition and sanitization and; educational sponsorship: whereby families who cannot afford decent education are sponsored in sending their children to an accredited schooling institution. All program functions rely solely on donations.
In addition when children are at risk of being separated from their families because of problems arising out of unemployment, vices, marital disputes, sickness or death in the family,(Saat) intervenes and works the family providing counselling services and psychological and financial support. This is a long-term program requiring regular assessments and the Board of Trustees is committed morally to the efficient functioning of the Trust and also to improve its efficiency on a continual basis. The Board has approved the current vision and mission statement.
Education
Informal School
Sri Annapoorneswari Anathaswarm Trust® (Saat) provides stimulating activities, organized games, day-care and schooling programmes for many migrant and low socioeconomic children within the Bangalore community. In the morning the children engage in subjects of math, grammar, spelling all of which taught in English. In the afternoon the children do language classes in Hindi and Kannada as well as participate in vocational training such as arts and crafts. This vocational training provides children with skills to make and sell various practical and artistic relics further creating extra income source for their impoverished families.
Health And Hygiene
Many children don’t have access to regular health professionals; as such Sri Annapoorneswari Anathaswarm Trust® (Saat) conducts regular health-check-ups for children at the centre once a month. We conduct initial screenings for physical delays or deficiencies, provide essential childhood immunizations, prescribe treatment for illnesses and infections, and monitor children’s health on a regular basis. The children’s growth is also monitored and vitamin supplements, first aid or medical intervention is provided if required. Additionally the childcare workers provide cleaning, bathing, feeding and sleep hygiene in order to ensure the children are well rested daily.
Special Needs Day Care
Sri Annapoorneswari Anathaswarm Trust® (Saat) also runs a Day Care for Children with Special Needs providing specialized care on a day-to-day basis. The (SAAT) staff has 15 years of experience in taking care of high-care children, providing constant supervision. With a diverse range of trained staff including nurses, social workers consultant doctors available there will always be constant supervision of a child. Our consultant doctor also assists in medical treatment and medication for these children. In case of an emergency we take the child to the hospital.(SAAT) also networks with schools in the area of special education to facilitate referrals.
Behavior Management
Disciplinary concerns will be discussed with parents, as the same mode will need to be continued at home. We also ensure our staffs have regular interaction with parents regarding their child’s progress. We wholeheartedly encourage feedback from parents regarding the center’s program or curriculum
Training
Our trained staff provides regular life-skills training on various topics including nutrition, parenting, child protection, stress management and the importance of education. The audience includes migrant families, parents of children under educational sponsorship, local villages and local communities (including slum visits), migrant para medical staff and health workers at primary health care centers. Also, our Saat employees are regularly trained on statutory child protection regulations, behavior management strategies and the complexities of working with migrant children.
Nutrition
Many of the children have been malnourished from birth due to poverty or under-education in nutrition. As such hot meals of porridge, rice, wheat, lentils or crushed chickpeas are provided to all the children at the beginning of the school day. Hard-boiled eggs and additional foods are provided to all our children at lunch. In the afternoon they are given an afternoon fruit snack.
EDUCATIONAL SPONSORSHIP
This is an educational support service for children from needy families. The educational sponsorship programme is Rs.6000/- for a year and it significantly subsidizes a child’s education, stationery and uniform. The progress of the child is reviewed regularly to help the student achieve a good academic record.
What does it take to be a sponsor?
Your desire to share in the life of a child.
Your commitment to provide regular support for a term.
Your concern to help more children and encourage others in your community to become sponsors as well.
It takes a subsidy of just Rs. 6,000/- p.a. to keep a child in school and meet his/her needs. Decide today, become a sponsor and pledge to lend a helping hand to support a less fortunate child.
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