Railway Children India

The Railway Children India (RCI) works to ensure the safety of children who arrive at train stations unaccompanied and in danger. To reach every lone child arriving at or passing through the station, an outreach workers (ORW) team works around the clock. The child's immediate needs, such as those for food, water, medical care, and counselling support, are met by the ORWs. RCI is committed to giving communities and families the tools they need to take care of their children and keep them safe by enhancing their resources. In order to prevent any of the children from slipping through the safety net and becoming vulnerable, Railway Children India works to build one within the community.

Interventions

Reaching children and families in distress

6,865 kids have received protection and support at and near the railroad station including children who are protected at 10 railway stations and 30 slum areas. At 10 railway stations, 823 children were safeguarded, and 80% of them were returned to their families or childcare facilities. Six hundred forty-six children used the Open Shelters in five different cities: Salem, Katpadi, Villupuram, Trichy, and Ghaziabad.

Strengthening families and environments for children

10,490 kids in 10 project locations were contacted for assistance to manage the lockdown's crisis and continue to live respectably. RCI were able to connect with reunited children from Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab thanks to partnerships with five new CSOs. 6,741 kids from these families received educational assistance, counselling, food assistance, etc. By connecting their families to social security programmes, 355 children benefited.

Building psycho-social support

RCI started a procedure to assist kids and families with psycho-social requirements. An expert in mental health trained RCI team members to give parents useful advice on how to discuss the pandemic with kids. 4,030 adults and 3,757 children received assistance. 12 individuals (parents and kids) were found to be in need of professional counselling. They are connected to online services run by public or private mental health facilities.

Besides the above interventions RCI also focused on:

• Supporting 3200 migrant workers travelling during the lockdown including their children with food and water.
• Providing basic necessities such food rations, health kits, and educational support like re-enrolment in schools, linking families with social security schemes, and vocational training among beneficiaries.