The Bawana slum colony was never intended to be a thriving community. The once rural village on the outskirts of Delhi, India, had remained detached from the city’s sprawling urban expanse when, between 2000 and 2004, the government began evicting families and street dwellers from Delhi’s central slums and relocating them to the area as part of a redevelopment campaign. From that point on, Bawana became known as a haven for outcasts.
Although the first residents were given small plots of land, they were packed into a few square blocks that lacked adequate sanitation, water and other essential services. They were also cut off from their jobs as street vendors, rickshaw drivers and day laborers in central Delhi. Without opportunities to work or enough classrooms for kids, crime, drugs and delinquency quickly dominated the landscape.
Children International was invited to Bawana in 2007 to help rescue boys and girls from their adverse circumstances. Four preschool centers were opened for 3- to 5-year-olds, and a remedial education program was launched for primary schoolchildren.Five days a week, children in the area received educational assistance and a healthy meal, while their mothers attended training on proper nutrition and hygiene.
Doug Tilden (far right) joined friends and family to celebrate a new beginning in Bawana.
But, as the population of the slum grows, so does the need. Reports of kidnapping, child trafficking, drug abuse and child labor demand greater action and a more watchful presence.
With help from generous donors, CI opened the doors to the Tilden Keller Family Community Center in December and started providing full sponsorship benefits in Bawana. The goal is to sponsor as many as 1,000 boys and girls by the end of the year.
Now children and families in Bawana will finally have a space designed with their needs in mind – a new community center that offers safety, support and, most importantly, a sense of belonging.
To sponsor a needy child in Bawana,
call us at 1-800-888-3089.
