8 SCJ philosophy students from Dehon Vidya Bhavan, Kerala, spent nine days (October 6-14) at Don Bosco Navajeevan, a shelter for street children. Run by the “Salesians of Don Bosco,” it provides shelter and support for the abandoned children living on the streets of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
Orientation
Street children live in dirt and filth. Some of them are severely mal-nourished and are the victims of diseases like tuberculosis, typhoid, malaria, jaundice, kidney disorders. Many are victims of drug abuse and liquor addition. Sexually transmitted diseases are rampant. Skin diseases and broken limbs are not uncommon.
Don Bosco Navajeevan seeks and reaches out to neglected children through its programs of:
*street presence
*counseling
*shelter
*providing basic needs,
*literacy
*recreation
*medical aid.
During this time the SCJ students participated in the programs that meet the needs of the 150+ children living at the shelter.
“This immersion experience with the street children helped us to get freedom from all of our wrong thinking about them. In our one week experience we felt them as our friends and companions, who share with us their food, shelter, games, and life stories. We did not see them as someone low down to us but as someone who needs us, who wants to talk with us.”
Every day they walked the railway stations, bus stations, and parks, talking with the children and inviting them to the center, where they could find food, a shower, clothing, or medical attention.
“This was an experience that we never had in our life. Here we experienced the reality of living among the street boys and speaking with them. This experience helps us to have some kind of expectation about our work in the future.”
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