ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 - Prajwala

The Astha Nivas home is like any other educational hostel, where on the one handchildren have to abide by rules and maintain discipline, but on the other have thefreedom to engage in the processes of play, school and friendships. The girls are soothedby the ordinary routine home activities, which not only provide a sense of structure totheir previously chaotic lives but also help them interact in positive ways among a nonthreateninggroup of people.Objectives of the program:A tangible face of dignity for the girls at the shelter is the confidence they gain witheducation. Prajwala believes that education is not only a fundamental human right, butis also the primary tool toensure a bright future full ofpossibilities and preventchildren from entering theflesh trade. Residentialschooling is thus offered toeach child at the shelter untilclass 5 to help them begin themainstreaming process intosociety and develop thenecessaryacademic,psychosocial and interpersonalcommunication skillsnecessary to excel in any educational setting. Normalization and integration of childrenthen occurs by placing older students in private or government schools throughoutHyderabad. After 10 th standard, children are given the choice of vocational training,higher education or work opportunities.In addition to education, special services are provided to all children to ensure they leadsafe, healthy and happy lives:Healthy Diet and Nutrition: A variety of wholesome food is provided for the children inthe form of high-protein meals and vitamin-rich snacks throughout the day, with regularitems including breads, milk, rice, curd, lentils, chicken/fish, vegetable curries, andfruits. An important practice that the shelter staff members ensure is involving thechildren as much as possible in evolving the weekly diet plan of the home. As much astheir varied tastes are incorporated into the menu, caregivers also ensure that inputs41