Children's Shelter Home: We believe strongly that the street and run away children require a place to share their grievances, excitement, anxieties and dreams. In Delhi, there are thousands of such children wandering without direction. There is also a need for a place that children can come to in case of an emergency and get immediate and urgent attention, in a caring and supportive environment without instilling fear. We see the shelter home as a place these children can come for unconditional moral, practical and social support. A home away from home that will better equip them to rejoin their social environment and move on to a more productive life.
In view of its aforesaid concern, Ritinjali has applied for a Grant from the Department of Social Welfare (DSW), Government of National Capital Region, Delhi for the setting up the same. It has identified a building for the purpose in Mahipalpur and has already taken it for renovation work. Once the inspection by the DSW is over in the second week of March along with subsequent approval for the same, Ritinjali expects to run a fifty-bed full-fledged shelter home for young and juvenile children.

The Children's Shelter is expected to meet the following objectives:
· To reunite these children with their families.
· To provide a safe and secure haven for distressed children (of age 12 and above).
· To ensure that the children are healthy and to instill a sense of hygiene and well-being.
· To help them instill or revive self-esteem and confidence in themselves.
· To provide age appropriate education and vocational skills necessary to enable them to become constructive members of society.
· To discover and nurture latent talents these children undoubtedly have through involvement in extra-curricular activities.
· To create awareness about social/cultural/national/political issues in these children.

Tihar Jail No.5: Ritinjali continues to be very active. The Library and vocational training centres are doing well. The monthly essay competition, with attractive prizes provided by Ritinjali, is very popular. Our two lawyers continue to provide free legal aid.

Tihar Jail No. 6: Ritinjali has become an integral part of the various activities. Ritinjali has managed to procure a running order for the stitching of the cloth bags for the cottage industry. We continue our counselling to the inmates and we are also helping in the income generation by buying food and pickle made by the Jail Canteen and distributing the same in the Nari Niketan every week.

Nari Niketan: Today, Ritinjali is the only NGO, which is allowed to work in Nari Niketan. It is amazing the way the Ritinjali members are greeted by the inmates every time they visit Nari Niketan. We have been able in channelizing the minds of these women in positive pursuits under the supervision of Mrs. Arora (the craft's teacher appointed by Ritinjali. We also provide extra nourishment by providing the edibles.

Rangpuri Pahari Library: In tandem with its objective of human development and spread of education, Ritinjali set up a library at Rangpuri Pahari in the month of January 2003.
Rangpuri Pahari is a small slum between Vasant Kunj and Mahipalpur in South Delhi. There are no schools or learning centres here where the young and old minds can channelize their energies in fruitful learning. Ritinjali took the initiative by taking on rent a room with an open space in the front for setting up a library.
Presently, there are 400 books in Hindi and English donated by Hind Pocket Books besides four types of Hindi newspapers that come daily. The Library has elicited a decent response from within the community and an awareness campaign about developing reading habits is being organized shortly.

Government of India sanctions ten EGS centres to Ritinjali in Mewat: After a long gap since Ritinjali conducted a study during July and August, 2002, about the status of education in Mewat, one of the most educationally backward regions in the country, and our request for financial assistance to the Department of Elementary Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, we have been sanctioned to run 10 EGS centres. SMART, a social sector organization, which has also received a sanction of EGS, has shown interest in jointly working with Ritinjali.

Voluntary Work in the Cancer Ward (AIIMS): A programme that has begun in February 2003 has Ritinjali volunteers who act as facilitators for cancer patients in the Cancer Wing at AIIMS. In addition, to assisting patients with filling forms and guiding them through procedures in the OPD, they are also helping patients tackle stress and in providing succour for families of cancer victims.

From Dipika's Diary:
(Following is an account of a day's work in AIIMS by Ritinjali's dedicated team of volunteers under the guidance of Dipika Nanjappa)
March 3, 2003
Today there were five of us-Priya Suri, Raksha Mehta, Jessica Paul, Aruna Bannerjee (both from St. Stephens) and self. We went straight to Dr. K. Pillai's office where we were told to go to the Paedriatic OPD, Dr. Tulika Seth, Room No. 4. Dr. Seth asked us to go to Room No. 7-Procedures. There, Sister Pada, Sister Incharge, asked us to make swabs out of a mound of gauge. That done, we spread out in the OPD. We were able to guide quite a few patients to the proper departments. After that we went up to the Day Care Centre. After getting the Doctor's permission we divided up for the three rooms and also the waiting area.
Priya has the knack for listening. The way some of the patients opened up to her was amazing. Priya spent a good fifteen minutes per patient. Most moving was the sight of a grown up man telling her about his life and crying. All he needed was a sympathetic listening ear. Raksha, a cancer survivor, was the motivating factor. She first went to the waiting area where she met among others, an old lady and her son. The lady was waiting for her first chemotherapy. Raksha spent a lot of time reassuring them. Then she accompanied the lady for her chemotherapy session. The way she handled the trembling lady was amazing.

All of us were moving from bed to bed. Jessica and Aruna concentrated more on the children-trying to distract them while their blood was being taken etc. The family members/friends accompanying the patients needed equal amounts of attention. I think we were able to reach out to quite a few of them. After this we were directed to the third floor-surgical ward.

After getting the Doctor's permission we were told which Wards we could visit and which were out of bounds. This was the area where the Ritinjali volunteers are expected to act as 'stress relievers'. Some of the caregivers are really stressed out. There was this lady, Chitralekha, who was looking after her husband. They are in a five-bed ward. Her husband has been admitted for the last one and a half months. She sleeps on the floor and nurses her husband day and night. They are from Bihar. She is obviously stressed out and physically tired. Aruna gave her two tablets of Becosule and contracted a promise from Chitralekha's husband about his wife taking a multi-vitamin every day. This simple act was enough to boost up their morale. We helped her get a letter from the doctor for a room in the dharamshala behind the Safdarjung as he was being discharged today and needed to come back three days later. Two patients ---- pre-operative-were also counselled.

Nathupur Pahari Centre: It is important to inform our readers that the area in which we work is a small slum of hutments inhabited by immigrants for labour from Bengal and Bihar. These marginalized people earn their livelihood by working for the sprawling construction industry in the heartland of Gurgaon. Prior to the intervention by Ritinjali, there was no school here for these deprived children and even after the launching of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan by the Government of India, it is still a long wait for them.

Our intervention has been important and it is presently taking care of more than three-dozen students between five and eight years of age. Ritinjali has made a small school in the heart of this slum, appointed a fulltime lady teacher, and distributed primary books and stationery -- out of its own initiative and resources. The credit, however, must always rest with Mr. Mohan for personally taking up the challenge of opening this learning centre and for raising the necessary resources.

To take stock of the problems and necessities of the newly opened children's school at (DLF, Phase-III) Mr. Mohan and Mr. Abhishek paid a visit to the site on 07.01.03. Mohan asked the children if anyone had not brushed his/her teeth in the morning. Among confused sounds of "Yes" and "No", he told them that he had brought for them a toothbrush and toothpaste for each child, which we then distributed among them.

It was indeed a great pleasure listening to those innocent faces, enjoying the chance they had been given to learn. Earlier, Ritinjali, after finding all children anemic during a medical check up, had decided to organize free lunches for these children once a week. Since the school was opened in December 2002, such free lunches have been sponsored on four occasions.

Second Chance School goes on an outing: On the eve of this Republic Day, 26.01.03, the young students of the Second Chance School were taken out for a day's educational travel to various parts of the city. The morning began by their witnessing of the Republic Day parade, an event that even after five decades of our independence has not lost its charm. The boys were over joyous and thrilled to have their lifetime experience and clapped with cheer each time a state took out its tableau. They specially enjoyed the display organised by the Goan State. Later in the day, the boys were provided a lunch at a restaurant. The day ended with seeing a Hindi film.
At the end of the day the boys were of the opinion that they felt richer in experience and were awestruck to witness the country's defence preparedness and cultural diversity.

Acharya Tulsi Sarvodaya Vidyalaya (ATSV), Govt Girls School, Sultanpur (GGSS): The role of Ritinjali in providing advice to ATSV and GGSS on a regular basis has been commendable. A representative of ours would regularly be attending the Meetings, as and when they are hosted at ATSV as part of the Bhagidari Scheme.

Kusum Pur Pahari Library and Centre: An architect has agreed to set up a small school building at Kusumpur Pahari, rendering his services free of cost. Having identified the site for construction along with the slum residents, work is scheduled to commence soon. Furniture for the Library has been already prepared.
Old Age Drop-in-Centre (OADC): It has recently gained impetus after an initial slump in activity. The centre has regular visitors and increased interactions between senior citizens and second chance learners. The screening of Hindi films of yesteryears has also been scheduled.

St. Stephen's College Affiliation: There was a successful organization of a trip of St. Stephen's College volunteers to many of Ritinjali sites on 5th February 2003. It was very heartening for Ritinjali when more than a dozen volunteers signed up to work for the inmates of Tihar and the patients of the cancer ward. The volunteers were taken on a tour of various Ritinjali sites. The counselling at the Cancer Ward with the volunteers could begin right away. However, there were apprehensions that one irresponsible step at Tihar especially with young volunteers could cause a lot of harm and undo all the good work done.

Life Skills Programme: Ritinjali has been approached by Guinness UDV to run an educational programme across India for a cross section of people on the merits of moderation in alcohol intake. Ritinjali has agreed in principle to work with the Guiness UDV but believes that mere education on alcohol intake and its ill effects may prove very peripheral. It is strongly felt that a comprehensive LSP would be far more effective in tackling the problem.

Local History Programme leading to Text Book Publishing: This novel idea of recording the history of every district, beginning with Kutch, with the assistance of local expertise is to imbue the district with an identity of its own while aiming to connect with the larger matrix of society across the country. We firmly believe that history so recorded will strongly bear the flavour of the people of the district. They will experience a sense of ownership and identify with it, as it will include local facts, information on local medicines, local songs and stories.

Ritinjali participates in the Jal Utsav: With the onset of summers, Delhi and its surrounding areas are once again on the brink of facing serious water shortage problems. But this year, the government of India in collaboration with the Theatre Embassy of Holland have organised the Jal Utsav to create awareness among the locals about water related issues. Ritinjali is actively participating by involving its children from Nathupur Pahadi Centre and Second Chance School, and Vasant Valley School children, in the plays and programs which will conclude on the 23rd and 24th of March, 2003.

Ritinjali and the Indo-Israeli cooperation programme: Ritinjali is helping in the coordination of government schools in India in learning first aid course through the Indo-Israeli cooperation programme. Not only will the marginalised children benefit by receiving certificates at the end of the programme but will also be given an opportunity to go to Israel for further learning and cooperation with Israeli children.

Ritinjali
welcomes contributions and volunteers for its cause. For further details, please contact:
· Dipika Nanjappa
· Abhishek Chaturvedi
· Adhiraj Mustafi
Visit us at www.ritinjali.org
Ph: 011-26891342