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Dear friends and well-wishers W i We are nearing Christmas and soon we will be in the midst of s h y celebrations. For Christians all over the world it is “God's unconditional o u love revealed in history to humanity. 'Jesus' mission of coming to this a v world was a source of grace to all whom he met and all who came to him. e r y He was good to people even at the point of rejection, betrayal and death. h a Christmas is an invitation to all of us to likewise be a source of grace. This p p y is all the more important today when we are torn by division of every kind C h caste, religion, culture, ideologies, politics, language, colour, region, race r i s t seen visibly across communities, societies, countries and the world. m a I am happy to share with you the news from DARE of the last four s & months. We are happy that we could reach out to lots of children and N e provide timely help. I thank all of you for your support and for being a w Y source of grace to us and enabling us to share that grace with others, e a r especially children in need. 2 0 Wishing you a very happy Christmas and New Year. 1 Fr. Abhi IMS 8 (Emmanuel George) Celebrations of important days, feasts and festivals During the last four months we celebrated Raksha Bandhan, Independence day of India, Gandhi Jyanti, International Girl Child Day, Deepavali and Children's Day, with lots of joy. Raksha Bandhan is an important feast in North India where the sister ties Rakhi [bracelet] on the wrist of her brother and seeks protection. DARE celebrated it at Sarnath on August 6th with the children from our literacy centre at Sarnath together with the children from the DARE home with verity entailments. DARE celebrated the 70th Independence Day of our country with solemnity on 15th Aug. 2017 at DARE home, Sarnath and at Varanasi Cantonment railway station. It was wonderful to see small children taking Training staff on teaching skills DARE organized a 3-day staff training for teaching skills, which included techniques on teaching use of symbols to small children, formats for a monthly syllabus, setting question papers and conducting monthly tests. Children from our literacy centres were brought to DARE home for 3 days for practical and technical instruction. Some of our staff also attended a training on “local fundraising” from November 21 to 23, 2017. the lead in raising slogans and singing patriotic songs. Parents meeting On October 2nd DARE cele-brated “Gandhi Jayanti,” the birthday of Mahadma Gandhi, the father of the nation, as “cleanliness day.” We used the occasion to make the children understand the need for hygiene, respect for nature, and their social responsibility. International Girl Child Day was celebrated on 11th Oct. at Sarnath and at Varanasi Cantonment. DARE organized rallies at both places with lighted candles to create awareness among the people regarding the rights of children, especially girls. DARE recognized the genuine need to educate Deepawali, the festival of lights, was celebrated with children to read and write at Teliyana Phatak, close lots of joy on October 17 at Sarnath and on 18th at to Varanasi city railway station, and organized a Varanasi Cantonment and Teliyana Phatak. The children meeting of the parents on October 18, 2017. There took lighted candles as a symbolic gesture of dispelling was a prior survey of the slum, and with the help of darkness with light. parents and guardians we identified 10 children for a Children's Day was celebrated on November 14 at non formal/functional literacy class. The parents and Sarnath, Teliyana Phatak, at Varanasi cantonment guardians agreed to collaborate with the programme. railway station and at the DARE home. Rescue and Restoration The last four months were very hectic for all of us, especially the staff and sisters. Besides the daily literacy classes, celebrations of important days, daily activities in DARE home, health camps at the railway stations, from August to November DARE rescued 25 children from the railway station and most of them were restored to their families. Three year old Imali (name Medical Camps changed), whose mother is mentally ill, is given Medical camps were organized every month at shelter in our DARE home. All these children had a Sarnath and Varanasi cantonment railway stations. story to tell and most of them were physically, We also started the medical camp for the first time at psychologically and sexually exploited. our new functional literacy centre at “Teliyana Phatak” from October 2017. Reeta, Deepika and Marina (name changed) stayed more than two months at DARE. We requested help in rescuing the girls. The girls did not had to transfer Reeta to a shelter know the exact location and the local language except home in Madhya Pradesh since her the name of the hotel “Vrindavan” somewhere in home situation was not conducive Namakal District in Tamil Nadu. The Child Labour due to her father's abusive nature. department raided the hotel on the same evening and Since most of these children were rescued the girls. The police caught the criminals and between 12 and 18 years old, we had forced them to give back all their belongings and to arrange medical tests to ascertain salary for the days they worked. They also helped the any physical or sexual violence, or any girls to board the train back to Varanasi on 5th of serious health problems. Some of the September 2017 and they reached home safe. These children were very tough to deal with girls came to DARE and narrated the ordeal and and we had to take extra care for their thanked DARE for the timely help in rescuing them protection and wellbeing until they were returned to and uniting them with their parents. their family or given safe shelter. In three cases we helped the family or the child to register a court case Shelter for Chutki against exploitations including sexual On October 28, 2017 three year harassment or abuse. Marina ran old Chutki (name changed) was away after one month from the DARE found begging since a week at home since she did not want to go the Varanasi cantonment home or to a shelter home and we railway station with her mother had to file an FIR with the police. who was mentally disturbed. Prevention of bonded labour Our staff during their field visits On September 1, 2017 Shanti (name changed) called inquired and discovered that antisocial elements DARE from a town in Tamil Nadu seeking help. Shanti were trying to traffic the child. We got written knew DARE since we had earlier helped her family. permission from the Government Reserve Police She said she had left Varanasi to go to Kerala with a (GRP) and took the child to the Child Welfare Committee, Varanasi. The court ordered Chutki to be few girls in search of work at Kitex, a garment factory. placed in the DARE shelter home. As her mother is On the way there they heard there is no vacancy at mentally disturbed, we contacted the Mother Teresa Kitex, and they left the train, possibly somewhere in sisters in Shivala Ghat, Varanasi and they provided Selam in Tamil Nadu. A young man who promised jobs shelter for her. took them to a remote area where New “Functional Literacy Centre” at Teliana Phatak they had to work 12 under the banner 'Learn with a Meal” hours a day with DARE staff during their visits to Kashi railway station poultry and were used to visit the slum in nearby Teliyana Phatak. not even given a People are staying near the road and none of their daily wage. They children go to school or know how to read and write. were robbed of all In September we conducted a survey to get to know their belongings and locked up in a room and were them and to determine the number of children who beaten up for refusing to work. Five of those girls could be helped to read and write. On October 16 we were taken in a car and possibly sold to a hotel. One organized a discussion with the parents. Since they of the girls had hidden her mobile and contacted were very cooperative and enthusiastic, we identified DARE for help. DARE contacted Tamil Nadu Police, 10 children eligible and willing to come for the non Child Line and anti child labour department/force and formal/functional literacy class. We have started the For Private Circulation Thanks to our Special Visitors Martine & Christine (Germany) Ruben & Antonia (Spain) class with 10 children and are hopeful that slowly other children will join. We provide refreshment for all children attending as an incentive to be with us Anne & Nicoletta instead of begging during that time. Manos Unidas (Spain) Children's Column Suman Revika Mamta Kajal Priya DARE DARE is an organization with a special focus on rescue and rehabilitation of the children found in the trains and railway stations. "We provide temporary shelter, education, vocational training, family counseling, foster care and legal aid to children to have a better future". Goal : Rescue and rehabilitation of the children found in the trains and railway stations. Objectives : Rescue children from forced labour and beggary. Provide counseling to children and their parents. Protect children from sexual abuse and trafficking. Prevent exploitation of children by family and community. Liberate children from drug addiction and sale of drugs.