City of Child
The City of Child programme recognises the need for children to flourish in a safe and secure environment. The programme identifies the most vulnerable children from the Aadhar Kendra Scheme through fieldworkers, who are then placed at the City of Child hostel situated on the outskirts of Pune city. These children are either orphans or single parent children who are living in a difficult or risky environment because of which their ability to reach their full potential is hampered. At the City of Child, the children receive:
- Secure accommodation away from difficult circumstances
- Enrolment in local schools and Deep Griha Academy
- Well balanced meals
- Medical care- medical health checkups are conducted regularly. Awareness sessions on health and hygiene are carried out for the children at COC.
- Recreational activities- picnics and celebration of festivals, birthdays and annual functions
- Academic support provided for school subjects in terms of study guidance
- Participation in sports, dance, drawing and cultural activities organised all over the country.
- Career guidance and counselling.
Impact: 186 children since 2005
Hear directly from our Team and Children
Rajesh Nimbolkar
Team Leader
Ayush Bhosle
Participant
Suvarna Terekholkar
House Mother
Saksham Sonkamble
Participant
Testimony
Between 2015 and 2017, I started and organized regular group visits to Deep Griha’s centers, especially the City of Child in Kasurdi, Maharashtra where friends and colleagues of mine and I spent time with children between the ages of 6-15, helping them build communication skills and supporting their school and learning needs. What stood out to me was how beautifully and sustainably the center itself was run under the leadership of Rajesh Nimbalkar and his dedicated team. Their passion created a nurturing environment where the children thrived and were always excited to show us what new things they had learned. I have to mention the fantastic food prepared by the staff which was so good that I always looked forward to it!
One of my fondest memories was just before leaving Pune, taking the older children who were about to graduate school on a day trip to a mall. We played arcade games and after much debate, they voted for Pizza Hut which was a first time experience for many of them. The joy and excitement on their faces that day is something I’ll never forget. Though I haven’t had the chance to return for some time, I continue to follow Deep Griha’s journey and cheer them on from afar. Looking forward to visiting the centers to meet Angela Aram, Rajesh, the team, and of course the “kids” who are probably not kids anymore.
– Siddharth Paul, Former Employee of TCS