by Khushboo Mangrati for BIS Mumbai

The INB Province YaR Commission, in collaboration with the DB YaR Homelink Network and Prerana NGO, successfully organized a training program titled “Children’s Right to Family Care and the Importance of Family Strengthening” at Bosco Boys Home on November 29, 2024. The event brought together 30 participants from various organizations focused on children’s welfare.

The goal of this training was to create a collaborative network among NGOs dedicated to the welfare of children. It aimed to promote family-based care and reduce reliance on institutionalization, in alignment with the current YaR Campaign theme: "Family is Where I Belong."

The theme of this year’s YaR Campaign, “Family is Where I Belong,” emphasizes the importance of strengthening families as the child-care sector moves toward deinstitutionalization. Every child deserves a safe and nurturing family environment to thrive. This theme reinforces the role of families as the primary source of protection and care, showing that with proper support, families can help prevent the need for institutional placements.

The program began with a short prayer, after which Fr Roshan Gonsalves, the Director of Bosco Boys Home, welcomed the participants and emphasized the importance of the theme by quoting, “Blood is thicker than water.” He explained how family relationships are the cornerstone of a child’s development and security, highlighting the necessity of strengthening families to ensure that children grow up in stable and loving environments.

Ms Geetarani Lorembam and Ms Pooja Yadav from Prerana NGO served as resource persons for the seminar. Ms Geetarani, leading Project Unnati, discussed the importance of strong families for a child's well-being and future. The discussions focused on strategies to improve economic stability, financial literacy, counseling, parenting skills, emotional resilience, and access to social security schemes, all aimed at creating nurturing family environments for children.

Ms Pooja, the Program Manager of the Aashiyana Project, highlighted that families provide the most sustainable support for children. Participants examined scenarios where children grow up without families and explored how Child Care Institutions (CCIs) and NGOs can facilitate family connections. They emphasized that family strengthening should begin when a child enters a CCI, with reintegration as a key goal.

A significant part of the seminar covered the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act's provisions for family-based care and reintegration. Discussions included how NGOs and CCIs can align their efforts with these guidelines, supported by case studies of successful family reintegration collaborations.

In the concluding session, Ms Khushboo Mangrati, the Mumbai Hub Coordinator, introduced Homelink DIGI, a digital tool by the DB YaR Forum designed to transition from manual to digital documentation, featuring data intelligence for advocacy, instant reporting, and cloud-based storage.

Participants provided positive feedback on the training. Ms Swapnali Kamble from CSA remarked on its effectiveness in highlighting foster care and inspiring NGOs to pursue collaborative efforts. Fr Sunil Pinto from Shelter Don Bosco found the training insightful and appreciated its interactive format. He stressed the need for holistic approaches that address both children’s and families' needs. 

The seminar concluded with a renewed commitment to family-based care and emphasized that families are the best environment for children’s growth and protection. It also underscored the importance of collaboration and advocacy in advancing deinstitutionalization and ensuring every child has a place to call home.