"Our social outreach workers are never too sensitive to sit among dirt in the streets or slums. Neither are they too sensitive to spend the night at the station or on the parking lot, among hundreds of other people with blankets, and all the children around them. We are always equal with the children and this equality has created an essential trust, intimacy and strength on our journey."
- Pia Lindell Qwist, Founder
Social Outreach in 9 areas of Kolkata
Outreach social work has become the entire basis of our work in Kolkata. We do social outreach at the railway stations, Sealdah Station and Dum Dum Station, as well as the slums of Khaldhar, Bakkri Patti, Topsia, Park Circus, Moulali, Hastings and the red-light district of Bowbazaar. More than 2 million people live in these areas. Here it all started on the 28th of November 2012, when Pia decided that she wanted to help, even though she didn’t know how.
Through outreach social work we connect with the children and get to know their stories, needs and dreams for the future. All our projects a based on the experiences, we make in the field. Through play, laughter, hugs and long talks – we build strong ties with the children, and sometimes their families. We listen carefully to their worries and joys. We give them advice and guidance, as well as a shoulder to cry on, when life seems too hard and unfair. We talk about the importance of education and healthcare, and together we find out, how the children can benefit from our projects.
Contact with 50-70 children every day
Every day we make contact with 50-70 children and their families. Our outreach social workers are in the field Monday to Friday between 9 AM – 5 PM. Twice a week they also work in the evening between 5 PM – 10 PM. In that way we can reach families, who are usually not present during daytime, e.g., due to work or begging elsewhere.
When performing outreach work, our team is always equipped with a backpack full of fun, comfort and first aid. They bring blankets, pens, coloring books, games, books and music – which are good ways to make contact with the children. Besides following up on agreements, they make with the children and their families about school, healthcare plans etc., the main purpose with our outreach social work, is to find new children, who can benefit from our projects. This is why we spend a lot of resources on spreading the word, that we are present in these areas, and that more children and their families, can always rely on our help and support.
Our outreach social work is both life-affirming and heartbreaking. Sometimes we come across children – hovering between life and death or abandoned. Sometimes they have lost their parents, and sometimes they have been subjected to violence, rape or something worse.