Torch takes care of the children of pavement dwellers residing on the pavements of Nizamuddin, New Delhi. The children of migrant labourers, rickshaw pullers and rag pickers or drug addicts, these children aged between 3–8 years, have never been to school. The pavement is their home and the roads are their playgrounds. Their lives are unstable as their parents often push them to begging and prostitution. However, it must be remembered that children are happier with their parents and so Torch does not separate the children from their parents.The Torch initiative offers counseling to parents and early education to the children. These children are intelligent, quick and eager to learn new things. It is designed to prepare these children to face the world and enjoy going to school.
Torch provides long-term support to the children of pavement dwellers of Nizamuddin in Delhi, by pre-schooling the younger children. It also sees that the school going children do not drop out of school by providing them with a place and infra-structure to do their studies while counselling their parents at the same time. It also provides them with healthy food and proper clothing. Torch provides support and guidance to these children to fight against all odds and grow up in a healthy way .
They require volunteers to help the children with homework and creative activities, especially between 2 pm and 4 pm. They should be compassionate,tolerant and caring people. They would be delighted if the volunteer has skills in paper cutting,music and dance. The profile for volunteers that they are looking for is that of someone who cares for little children. He/she must be able to visit regularly at least twice a week for a couple of hours .Fluency in English is necessary.
Their space is very small and their children are very poor. The children find the affection given by the volunteers very rewarding. The volunteers also need to feel safe and comfortable in such surroundings.
Torch provides on-going support to these children to fight against all odds and get educated. It helps them with food and clothes. It provides them with a space to study, provides guidance on what to do, initiates them into the school going process through initial reading and writing lessons, counsels their parents as well as helps them with their studies so that they do not drop out of school.
Website: http://torchdelhi.wix.com/torch
Please click on the volunteer link below to discuss with the NGO how you can help.