In the recent year, the number of children is increasing on the streets of cities in eastern region such as Itahari and Dharan every day to escape poverty and abuse at home. However, there are very few services available to street children in this region as most services are based in Kathmandu. Thus VOC has established project office at Itahari in Sunsari district with an aim to support children living or working in the streets of Itahari and Dharan, and sexually abused children in that region.
Through this project "Support and Protection of the Street Children and Vulnerable Families in Nepal" has acquired an in-depth understanding of the living condition and other facets of horrifying lives of Street Children. Voice of Children keeps Street Children as its main area of intervention, but equally focuses on family development programs to reduce the number of children coming to streets and to raise awareness on child sexual abuse to safeguard all children from sexual offenders.
Objectives:
- To prevent vulnerable children from coming to the streets and from sexual abuses.
- To rescue vulnerable children already on streets.
- To rehabilitate ex street children.
- To reintegrate ex-street children in families/communities.
- To economically develop ex-street children and marginalized families for self-sustainability.
- To reduce child sexual abuse incidents in Nepal.
Activities:
- Capacity building of the marginalized families.
- Spreading awareness among children at risk.
- Assisting school enrolment of the drop out children.
- Formation/Strengthen of the local child clubs within the communities.
- Motivate children to leave street life.
- Welcome vulnerable children at any time and in any condition.
- Provide non-formal education and psycho-social counseling.
- Prepare ex-street children for reintegration in the family or society through rehabilitation centre.
- Family & community reintegration.
- Economic development of marginalized families and vulnerable youths.
- Advocate against Child Sexual Abuse (CSA).
- Provide emergency support, psychosocial counseling and rescue to vulnerable and at risk children by Child Helpline '1098' is operating since January 2017.
