Working Strategies of BOSCO
- At the level of young at risk
- At the level of community and Society
Target Groups of BOSCO
- Unaccompanied Children living on streets
- Children who do labour
- Abandoned / Orphaned Children
- Runaway / Missing children
- Victims of Substance Abuse
- Victims of Child Abuse / Violence / exploitation
- Children who do begging
- Children who do Rag Picking
- Children whose Rights are violated
Our Services
Counseling
Every child who enters BOSCO would undergo Counseling. We provide two types of counseling: Initial counseling and Intensive counseling. The intensive counselling will take a week long. The details of the child are revealed through the initial counseling. Our professional counsellors, who would in the process identify the real problems of the child and help him to transform his attitudes towards life. The intensive counselling includes recreational and motivational therapy as well. At the end of the counselling the child is either reinstated into his family or placed in one of its centres for rehabilitation. In some exceptional cases the child is referred to other care institutions.
Home Placement
Home placement finds its core importance among all our activities. BOSCO believes that the Child belongs to his/her home and that is where the children can grow up best. Reinstating the children back in their homes at the earliest after rehabilitation is the goal that BOSCO pursues with intent. During the intervention time BOSCO absorbs them in the interim for a period that may be necessary and which depends on the specific needs of the individual. The counseling services in this direction and the formative measures undertaken are focused on enabling and empowering the individual child to reintegrate them back into their families or societies.
Tracing Missing Children
BOSCO is the nodal agency for the state for the missing child bureau as per the proceeding of Government of Karnataka. This decision has come with the efforts of BOSCO in ensuring the implementation of the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act 2000 and the corresponding Amendment Act (2006). The Act envisages that the State Government shall set up a Missing Children’s Bureau to document and publicize information relating to Missing Children with the co-operation and collaboration of a child welfare voluntary organization and District Police Station.
Education
Most of the children stop their education after their initial schooling. The reason behind this scenario is that economic instability. BOSCO intends to support these children for their higher education in different trades with the help of well wishers and like minded people who could support these children to puruse the education further.
Vocational Training
Vocational training coupled with Non-Formal Education is provided to those children above 14 years of age, who show too much resistance towards formal education. This is because many children from poor families find earning money as a better alternative compared to going to schools. Therefore we try to provide them with this option at least to help them lead a better and more responsible life. The vocational training includes welding, carpentry, two-wheeler mechanism, computer training, tailoring etc. However, in the process whenever we discover that a child has developed interest in formal education, we help him to make a switch.
Job Placement
After completing the vocational training, we place these children in different job setting according to their qualification. This will help them to construct their future, by making them to find out their bread from their sweat.
Room Placement
Room placement for older boys nearing the age of 18 years is an activity to help them become independent. The job placed boys are assisted in procuring a separate rented room outside BOSCO’s residential facility. Around 3-4 boys live together in a room, they pay the rent jointly and stay together as a family with bonding.
Advocacy
Legal intervention on behalf of victimized children is one of our chief activity. We intervene in cases where children are abused / unjustly treated by employers or exploited by traffickers and send petitions on behalf of the children to Child Welfare Committee (CWC).
Health Care
Giving better medical service to the children is one of our major concerns. It is our primary responsibility to look after the children until they are reintegrated with their families. We facilitate proper treatment for sick children and also conduct medical camps from time to time.
Personality Enhancement
Personality Enhancement has a vital aspect among our services. Such measures help to develop positive attitudes in life, facilitate growth in resilience, recognize and understand the personalities and bring awareness of hazards that adversely affect the physical health.
Child Labor Eradication
Child labor is a serious and extensive problem, with many children under the age of fourteen working in hazardous situation. Child labor has been identified as harmful and hazardous to the child’s development needs, both mental and physical. BOSCO through its Child Labor project aims at the termination of child labor gradually and to ensure the change in mindset of these innocent kids to get in to normal and dignified life.
HIV/AIDS Awareness
HIV/AIDS is considered as the dreadful disease of this century. It is also spreading at an alarming rate. Being ranked second in case of HIV/AIDs patients, India is on the path to reach the top spot. This is mainly due to the unawareness among the people. As a remedy to this, we organize plenty of awareness programs in order to make young people on the streets to be aware about HIV/AIDS and its transmission.
National Research and Documentation (NRD)
It is one of the important elements of BOSCO’s activities aimed at providing for building a strong intellectual base essential for the kind of work it is involved in. NRD plays an indispensable role of adding intellectual and critical substance to the programs and activities of BOSCO and discerning its mission in the context of changing circumstances, emerging realities and policy environment that affect and influence its target groups and areas. NRD highlights BOSCO’s experience as an inspiration to others to serve.
