Preventing Prostitution post Covid

Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, Apne Aap has been able to support hundreds of women and children across India. At each of our centers, we provide a safe haven for these young people, as well as offer various programs, activities, classes, and resources that are available to those who wish to join. 

In May and June, over 50 children ranging from ages 3-17 have received schooling and meals at our Apne Aap centers. Within these months, over 38 students have attended our Sewing classes, and some older participants have enrolled in computer courses to further their technological knowledge. 

All meals are supplied by our #1MillionMeals initiative, and as of June 30th, 2022, we have served over 13,000,000 meals to women, children, and families at our centers and through local distribution spread across India.

A young woman named Noorain joined the Apne Aap center five years ago and has learned life-changing skills. Noorain wanted to continue studying to make her family proud, but financial issues came up for her that almost prevented her from studying. Luckily, her mother, with the help of Apne Aap, managed to help relieve that financial stress. 

People in Noorain’s community tried to convince her parents to stop her from studying and instead have her learn how to cook, but Noorain didn’t let people’s opinions get in the way of her dreams. She continued her education and followed her dreams. Noorain wishes to become a doctor to help aid her community and to inspire young women just like her. 

At Apne Aap, this is only the beginning of our journey. With your help, we can continue to provide safe havens, meals, sanitary products, school supplies, and more to young women, children, and families who are excluded from necessary resources like this. Help us, help them.

Links:

• #1MillionMeals
• Apne Aap Homepage

Activities Report Antkanya Center Uttari Rampur

 The center has reopened from 23^rd August after the lockdown and when govt. schools have reopened. In our center, 60 children come daily to study and they are from the red light area and mela ground. The center is open from 9 am daily six days a week. The teachers visited the community to collect the children from their houses on a regular basis and after the preparation, the classes start from 9:30 am for five hours Monday to Friday and for three hours on Saturday. Children study in Balbari (Crèche), Regular class, and Bridge courses. After preparation here, we enrolled them in the nearest govt. school and regularly monitor them there too. Along with studies, we provide them other training like Karate, Painting, Song- Poetry and introduction sessions, etc which increase their self-confidence and instill courage in them.  

 Karate Class:- 25  students aged 8-13  years and above learned Karate here. The Karate class started there from 1^st September thrice in a week on Monday- Wednesday, and Friday and started at 9.30 am for an hour. The children are enjoying and learning Karate carefully under the guidance of Mr. Niraj Kumar, Karate teacher. They learn Single Punch, Double punch. Both hand double Punch, Lower Block, Upper Block, Kidney Block, and Front Kick Oizuki, etc at that time. Karate dress is also provided to them by the organization. 

These children studying in our center are from Nat cast and Mahadalit (Dom, Mushar, Dusadh) casts. Poverty is so high that they cannot even get proper food. Along with studies, we also provide them food for the day, which includes rice, lentils, green vegetables, and salad is important so that they also get complete nutrition. Mid-day Meal is also provided to the children on daily basis under Apne Aap’s - #1MillionMeals program. Runa Devi cooked the food for the children and sit together in a circle to eat the food.  Feasts were organized for the children on occasions and Veg Biryani, Egg Curry- rice, Pulow, Kheer, etc served to them. The children enjoy it very much. 

Other activities like Painting, singing, Bal sabha (Children’s meeting), songs and poetry speaking, and other activities arrange as per schedule for the children on a weekly basis in the center. On the occasion of Christmas, Drawing, Singing, Poem, and Karate competition was organized for the children, and prizes were also distributed among them to increase their courage. 

School  Program– Dharampura, New Delhi              

1.  Educational Status:- Varsha, a girl belonging from Perna community Dharampura, Delhi. She is a bright student and supported by Apne Aap Women Worldwide from the primary stage for education. She was completed her 12^th class and now she was admitted for a technical course in Total Graphics Classes Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi to learn Multimedia six month course in Graphics Designing. She now grows as a community leader and support organization in many ways. 

2. Educational Status:- Aarti, a girl belonging to Perna community Dharampura, Delhi. She is a bright student and supported by Apne Aap Women Worldwide from the primary stage for education. She was admitted to G. D. Goenka School, Rohtak, Haryana, and she continues her 10^th class from there. She lives in a rental house with her sister Varsha and is also supported by the organization. She studied daily for hours for herself and also participated in other social activities organized by the school and her society. We also organized tuition classes for her.  In 2023, she will take her 10^th Board examination. For this, she is studying well and she has full faith that she will pass this examination with good marks. Her earlier sister Varsha always guides her to how to prepare well for the examination 

3. Educational Status:- Anisha, a girl belonging to the Sapera community Dharampura, Delhi. She is a bright student and supported by Apne Aap Women Worldwide from the primary stage for education. She was admitted to G. D. Goenka School Rohtak, Haryana, and continues her 10^th class from there. She studied daily 4 hours for herself and also participated in other social activities organized by the school and her society. We also arranged tuition classes for her.  In 2023, she will take her 10^th Board examination. She leaves her own parental house here with her parents. 

 4. Educational Status:- Prachi, a girl from Sapera community Dharampura, Delhi. She is a bright student and supported by Apne Aap Women Worldwide from the primary stage for education. She was admitted to G. D Goenka School, Rohtak, Haryana, and now continues her VII class from there. She leaves her own parental house here. She studied daily 3 hours for herself and also participated in other social activities organized by her society. Now she has supported by home tuition and books to continue her study.

College Education Program- Patna           

1. Education Status: - Resham is a girl from the Nat community from Forbesganj, Bihar. Now had completed her BA from Shri Arvind Mahila College Patna and was continuously supported for hostel fee, Admission fee, Examination fee, and for books and stationeries. Now she is in Patna and preparing for general competition examinations and BPSC also. We are now supporting her to pay her coaching fee and hostel fee for the preparation of the BPSC examination.                               

2. Education Status: - Jyoti is a girl from the Nat community from Forbesganj, Bihar.  Now she had completed her BA from Shri Arvind Mahila College Patna and was continuously supported for hostel fee, Admission fee, Examination fee, and books and stationeries. Now she is in Patna and preparing for general competition examinations. She has also completed a computer course with the support of Apne Aap and we are paying her coaching classes, hostel fee, and computer classes.  

3. Education Status: - Najmin is a girl from the Nat community from Forbesganj, Bihar Now she had completed her graduation from Magadh Mahila College Patna and is now admitted in B.ed in Forbesganj College, Forbesganj and supported for Admission fee, Examination fee, and other charges. Now she is attending the B.ed class on regular basis in Forbesganj College. 

4. Education Status: - Poonam is a girl from the Nat community from Forbesganj, Bihar. Now had completed her BA from Shri Arvind Mahila College Patna and was continuously supported for hostel fee, Admission fee, Examination fee, and for books and stationeries. Now she is in Patna and preparing for LLB general competition examinations also. We are now supporting her with the coaching fees, hostel fees,s and college fees also.

Along with the education of children, we also do other activities so that prostitution can be ended. Connecting children to studies has also reduced inter-generational prostitution. Apne Aap's team report on the population demographic in red light areas recorded a significant decrease in the number of women and girls in prostitution, the population of women and children living in red light areas, the number of traffickers, and the number of households. By the efforts of Apne Aap, many of the traffickers were arrested by the police and send to jail. Many brothels are now closed and that day is not far away, this red light area will be completely closed. In addition, there has been an increase in ration cards, government IDs, and Voter IDs provided by Apne Aap to red light areas. 

Apne Aap connected 748 children with the right to education from 2002 to 2022, out of them, 213 children are from the red light areas, and others are from the Mahadalit ( Dom, Mushar, and Dusadh ) community. These children doing very well in their studies. Some of them have finished college and some are in jobs. Some are studying at good colleges and schools in metro cities.  Apne Aap also supports Aga Khan Foundation to run classes and a library for the children in New Delhi. Your donations make our work possible and effectively slows down the rate of Intergenerational-Prostitution. 

Links:

• #1MillionMeals
• Apne Aap Homepage