The need: India leads the world in high rates of child homelessness. A report by UNICEF estimates 11 million children on India’s streets. The lack of proper facilities makes the street children vulnerable and at the mercy of unknown anti-social elements.

About us: UPAY, a registered NGO in India, has been running a project Footpathshaala for the education of Street children since 2014. With a sample size of 350 street children from 3 tier-1 and tier-2 cities, the following conclusion has been drawn:  

• Only 5% of students continue with higher education
• 80% of these students beg or work on the streets after class

Our Intervention: The broad objective of the Day Boarding project is to bring street children into mainstream society by developing them through UPAY's long-term intervention at the Integrated Learning and our center.

Ongoing Model: The project is currently providing the street children with a secure and safe place encompassing various activities like Counseling, Developmental activities, and happy learning spaces. In the initial phase, 30 out-of-school children in the age group of 6-14 years of age are enrolled in this learning center. 

Features:

• Vibrant and playful campus
• Play area for children 
• Daily breakfast and lunch
• Trained teachers
• Customized curriculum as per the learning levels

Education Sustainability: A shift in approach is the need of the hour where this project will help cut down the time spent by children in a hostile atmosphere and isolate the children for a significant number of hours each day with enough monitoring and supervision. This day boarding project plans to provide holistic development. Over the next 3 years, the facility shall be converted into a full-time residential setup to reap maximum learning output. It shall be endorsed by NIOS and out-of-school or drop-out students will be able to write their exams with open schooling. Children in the age group of 14-16 years shall be enrolled in vocational skill development classes to ensure livelihood opportunities.