Street children line up to take the best course

Ranjani Rajendra I TNN

Mumbai: Long queues snaked through the Don Bosco School grounds at Matunga as hundreds of children, unmindful of the scorching heat, patiently waited their turn as the lines wound closer to the stalls. No, this was not a scene from a regular school fete. In progress was a career mela for street children and marginalised children, offering them a host of options to keep them off the street and help them build a stable future.

Pioneered by Don Bosco, the mela saw companies like Mahindra and Mahindra, Lamprell, Otis, Union Bank and Ahar (the restaurant association) step forward to offer career guidance and training courses to the children. As the children pored over forms, counsellors explained what each option entailed and the course of action to be taken. “Most of these children didn’t look beyond masonry, welding and carpentry.This capacity building exercise will offer an opportunity for children from this segment of society to explore diverse career options, foster independent decision-making with regard to career choices and enable them to become financially independent as they move to the world of work in future,” said Father Barnabe D’Souza, director, Don Bosco Shelter, Mumbai.

While some children had come merely to have fun at the mela that also had cultural programmes, most seemed serious about making use of the opportunity. “I want to become a cricketer or join a musical band. I never knew what would be the best way for me to realise my dreams. But the didi at the stall explained what I should do if I wanted to be successful,” said 14-year-old Rahul Shirkar, who plays the drums along with his father at weddings.

Similarly, 18-year-old Rupesh Londe who wants to get into hotel management was guided by Ahar. His father has a menial job with the BMC, and Rupesh is determined to do something different, like a computer course. Others like Mohammed Gouspeer and Bashir Hakim who are interested in the technical aspects of the industry have been recruited by Lamprell, an offshoring company, to be trained in welding and then be sent to Dubai as company employees.

In a new venture, Don Bosco in association with the Union Bank and FINO (Financial Information Network and Operations Limited) provided the children with a chip photo card. With this card they can deposit the savings from their daily wages in the bank. The card will also serve as an ID to get a driver’s license or a ration card.Said Sanjay Kuberkar,Chief Operating Officer, of FINO. “We expect through this scheme to work out a feasible solution that will empower street children by enabling them to open regular accounts with banks and save their earnings.”

“According to our research, we found that 90% of the children we had helped with jobs ended up back on the streets. The reason being they didn’t possess the necessary skills to retain the jobs. Hence we decided that we needed to attend to the root of the problem itself,” said Fr Barnabe.

FOR A BETTER FUTURE: Candidates apply for training courses and jobs at the street mela organised by Don Bosco School, Matunga on Friday.