Every 5 minutes, a child arrives alone at a railway station in India. Railway platforms see a high footfall of at-risk children. Our experience has shown many unaccompanied and trafficked children using the rail network, either to travel across states, find shelter at platforms or work as hawkers and ragpickers at train stations. RCI has been implementing 24*7 railway station-level interventions to protect and restore these children with either family or long-care homes. In 2021- 2022 our programs have protected 2497 children out of which 273 are from Ghaziabad, railway station.

Open Shelter (OS) is an integral part of our intervention to provide shelter, nutrition, healthcare, sanitation and hygiene, safe drinking water, education and recreational facilities, and protection against abuse and exploitation for children protected at the railway station and or within the district.  in all the proposed locations, Open Shelter (OS) has been established as per the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

Children can stay up to a maximum of three months depending on the time required for family reunification as per the order of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). From the OS, children are either reunified with families or referred to long-care homes based on the needs of the children.

One open shelter is manned by 14 full time (1 superintendent, 5 caregivers, 1 Non-formal Educator, 1 Child Welfare Officer, and 1 counselor, 2 Cook, 3 securities) and 1 part-time n(Doctor). Till now more than 9000 vulnerable children accessed short-term care services such as safe shelter, nutrition, non-formal education, and medical support.

Objective-    

Children referred to open shelters usually go through various trauma, abuse, and hardship either at home or during the journey before they are protected and referred to Open Shelter. Ghaziabad Open shelter is one such example where children get a nurturing environment that supports the holistic development of children. Railway Children India (RCI) with the support will provide safe shelter, nutritional food, counseling, medical care, non-formal education, computer education, and recreational support to vulnerable children at open shelters. 

Expected Outcome-

• 350 children avail nutritious meals at Ghaziabad open shelters to prevent micronutrient deficiencies. Children will have better health and nutrition levels. Through regular counseling and health checkups, the children will be de-addicted, out of trauma and healthy through Yoga & Physical game activities.
• 315 Children from these open shelters will be reunified with their respective families and a further 12-18 months follow-up will be done with families to ensure each child's safety. Children will continue their education and live a dignified life with families.
• 350 children are expected to learn basic computer skills during their stay in our Open Shelter
• 50 Children will go through musical instrument training. 
• 350 children are to be benefited from recreational activities through sports. 

Key Activities-

• E-learning facilities will be available for children through tablets and computer
• Musical Instrument training for children interested.
• Bala Sabha (children group) meeting conducted every week where children discuss and share their suggestions for the engagement activities and food menu. Children also review and give feedback about the services provided at the open shelters
• Home Management Committee (with representatives from District Child Protection Unit, Child Welfare Committee, Staff, Children etc) meeting every month
• Non-Formal education activities (including handcraft, computer, language skills etc.) conducted for children every day.
• Life skill training for children conducted periodically
• Indoor and outdoor games conducted for children at the open shelters
• Doctor visits the open shelter every month to provide medical support to children staying in the open shelters.
• Create a Safe & Comfortable sleeping space with beds and mattresses.
• Follow up on refined children and extend family-strengthening support to their families
• Special events conducted commemorating specials days- children’s day, festivals etc.

1. Shelter, Nutrition & Health Support to children at risk in Ghaziabad
2. De-addiction, counselling and non-formal education
3. Life Skills, Yoga, Music & Outdoor Games for Mental & Physical Well Being.

a) Introduction

Railway Children India’s (RCI) vision is “a world where no child ever has to live on the street”. To make this happen we work at transport terminals and high-risk communities to identify and protect children at risk thereby preventing them from slipping into street life. RCI is a section 8 not-for-profit company registered in the year 2013. RCI currently works at 6 railway stations, 1 bus terminal and 9 slum communities across 6 states protecting 7000 children annually. RCI is a resource agency for Indian Railways to train and sensitize their personnel on child protection across the nation and played a significant role in the development of the first-ever guideline for the protection of children in contact with railway stations and Indian Railways standard operating procedures on child protection.

 b) Impact (2015- March 2022):

• 20337 children were protected and prevented from slipping into street life.
• 90% of children are safely restored with families and long-term care institutions.
• Supported 18000 children across 30 slum communities with Covid 19 relief services.
• 42184 railway officials trained on how to protect children & create child-friendly stations. 
• Over 11 lakh railway passengers are sensitized to child protection.