How Can a Foreign Volunteer Effectively Contribute Towards a Child Welfare Programs in India?

The registered population of India is 1.3 Billion people as of summer 2016. With that in mind, the word ‘registered’ must be put under special emphasis, as many Indians are invisible from the radar of the Indian government and welfare system. Living in crowded slums and in the merciless streets of India’s bustling cities, these poor individuals have to strive for the most basic means of survival every day.

The purpose of this article is to focus mainly on the plight of many of India’s children and what foreign volunteers, who know very little about India, can do to help establish effective child welfare programs in India. According to the statistics of Friends of Salaam Baalak Trust, a staggering 440 million children under 18 years of age live in India, this is more than the entire population of North America. Of these children, 2 million who are born every year do not live to the age of 5 due to the sever malnourishment and poor living conditions. With these distressing facts declared, this article will now outline the different ways non-Indians can help ameliorate the different types of problems facing many Indian children through the establishment of a child welfare programs in India.

Education:

Although many Indians will agree that literacy and educational opportunities are more available for the new generation of Indian children, according to the Friends of Salaam Baalak Trust, 50% of children in India still do not attend school regularly enough to meet sufficient standards. Moreover, special consideration must be put towards the ‘invisible’ children in India, children who do not own ID’s and are non-existent to the Indian authorities. It is among these hidden societies where illiteracy among children resemble those of colonial-era India. A foreign volunteer can do a great deal to help deliver some sort of education to the underprivileged children, even the slightest education can prove to be so meaningful and enjoyable to these deprived and needy children.

Hunger:

200 million Indians go to bed hungry, and 40% of children over 5 years old are malnourished. You are probably wondering what on Earth a foreigner can do to help such a deep-seated global issue, but the solution can arise from thinking outside of the box. Of course fundraising for free food is the obvious solution, as well as fundraising for improved agricultural and water supply in poor areas too, but another way to ease the issue of hunger is to teach children and families about food hygiene and food preservation to help food last longer.

Child Labour:

Many children are forced into labour out of sheer poverty, which means they cannot attend school and have a decent childhood. Every child has the right to play, and volunteering for child welfare programs in India can help you fulfill just that. Organising workshops and volunteering in schools for the poor can help these unfortunate children live their well-deserved childhood. 

This article has definitely missed out on many different Ideas and methods to help children in India, that is the true beauty of volunteering for child welfare programs in India, for you can truly develop your initiative and creative skills when delivering to the children.