On the outskirts of Delhi, on a side street lies a small colony called Greenfields. Isolated amidst its untamed vegetation is a surprising sanctuary — a community of unmarried women raising 10 non-biological children each, passionately fostering families.
SOS Children’s Village is a non-profit, non-government organisation established to provide children orphaned by disaster and abandoned a new family.
First established in 1964 at Greenfields by the international organisation’s founder Hermann Gmeiner, Children’s Village in India has now grown to 33 villages in 21 States, serving over 6,500 children.
Recently, the NGO secured a VO-2A CRISIL rating, indicating its “Strong Delivery Capability and High Financial Proficiency”, and making it the first NGO to undergo evaluation process especially designed for voluntary organisations by CRISIL.
“I feel secure and safe here,” says Anjali Das, one of the mothers and caregivers to 10 children, including the newest member of the community, a two-month-old boy named Nimansh. Sitting in her brightly coloured living room, she describes her journey of coming to SOS Children’s Village. She heard about the organisation accidentally from a friend. After her share of personal adversities, from parental deaths to a broken engagement, the opportunity to live in a safe place raising a family came as a ray of hope to her. Now, a mother in the community for two years, she is raising children aged from two-months to 18 years, one daughter clearing her Class XII exams and applying to attend IP University’s BBA programme.
Manju Panda lives in House No.4 where TV is enjoyed after homework is completed. Gleaming with pride, she says that her eldest daughter is currently attending coaching classes at Aakash Institute.
Rakesh Jinsi, secretary general of India’s National SOS Children’s Village says that one of the organisation’s main principles is that all children must have a mother, who initially is a ‘volunteer caregiver’ and has to go through a rigorous two-year process to be entitled with the job. Of all the interested women who go through training, which includes a year of classroom training and hands on-experience as well as a trial year as a village “aunt”, only 50 per cent of trainees finish the programme.
However, the pool of interested women in such a committed ‘career’ as a mother is dwindling, Mr. Jinsi explains. Children’s Village used to attract many aspiring caregivers than they had children for, a rise in job opportunities and changing social norms has meant that widowed or divorced women often interested are now seeking alternative lifestyle options.
“For children to become a part of the village they must meet the requirement that they have no familial relationships because it can detract from the child’s ability to form an emotional attachment to the mother,” says Mr. Jinsi. Nevertheless Children’s Village has never had to turn a child in need away.
When a child is left orphaned, his or her placement in a household is largely determined by logistics — availability of space so that women care for no more than 12 children — the age of the child, and even the child’s religious background, which the organisation aims to keep intact. Once a child joins a family, he or she is there for the long haul, as relocating a child can be a traumatic experience of losing parental care for a second time.
For every four houses, a counsellor or co-worker is also provided for the mother and children to aid them in meeting any bonding challenges.
However, Mr. Jinsi says that the lifestyle and structure of each home is ultimately left to the mother, giving every caregiver a sense of autonomy — financially and otherwise — to raise her children as she wishes.
The importance of education, however, is of universal concern and structurally integrated into the lives of children in the village as well. Mr. Jinsi says goal is for all children who leave the Village, whether by marriage or in search of job, to have one employable skill with certification, computer skills and a fluency in the English language.
