FEB 14

Our Mumbai partner, Batul Mukhtiar visited Deepa yesterday (Feb 13^th) – the most recent of several visits to discuss her future with her and her grandmother Shobha. Along with her 3 brothers aged between 2 and 9, the family unit is very close, if very fragile. The challenge for us is how to find a safe home and school environment which works for all the children – they remain very interdependent, and Shobha relies heavily on Deepa to look after her youngest sibling.

As we discovered when we took Deepa to the Don Bosco shelter for girls a few weeks ago, any change that is too dramatic can end in tears. For Deepa entering an institution away from her family was just too far outside her comfort zone, so we have all learnt from this.

With the help of Mrinalini Rao, Railway Children’s wonderful programme manager in Mumbai, Batul and the family have found a way forward – taking smaller steps. They have moved to a quieter, safer neighbourhood called Jogeshwari, a few miles north of their home in Khardanda. The other reason we chose this neighbourhood is that it has better schooling, and we are currently looking at small private schools in this neighbourhood that could admit Deepa. We are also going to subsidise Shobha as the primary childcarer iso that she has as much support as possible to settle the children into a new home & schools.

JAN 25

I met Shobha again yesterday. Deepa was out selling flags at Bandra signal. (Republic day tomorrow, flag selling starts 2-3 days before that). I talked over the option of the school at Goraj or going to Pune. But Shobha is keen that Deepa goes to Don Bosco, where she is close by, and we can visit her regularly.

Deepa has now come round to this idea again, and is keen to go now, specially since Bhavna, her cousin and best friend will be able to go with her. (Sister Moksha has agreed to take both of them). Shobha and Lata, Bhavna's mother are going to take them there tomorrow evening. Hopefully I will be able to go myself as well.

I think we should, let her stay there for some time and see how she finds it. If she's happy there, fine. In the meanwhile, I'll look for some other options just in case. With the generous offers from viewers we could possibly now also send her to a private school (not a very expensive one), but need to find a place where she will be comfortable. It would be disastrous to send her to a place where she is surrounded by well-off kids, she would probably be bullied and would feel very displaced from school and home.

Jan 23

After discussing Deepa's situation with Deepa herself and her grandmother, Shobha, they and Batul decided that the best option for Deepa was to go to a home run by the Don Bosco Foundation, the same organisation that took Salaam in.  Don Bosco were happy to take Deepa, and last Sunday (17th Jan) Deepa packed a bag and went with Batul and Shobha to the school.  Batul takes up the story:-

"Sadly once we got there she changed her mind and refused to stay, she cried and cried and so of course we took her back. The trouble is that although there are lovely sisters in charge, there are only 12-15 girls, from 3 to 18, living in a room under the convent, so she didn't feel at home. They are sent to a Marathi municipal school for a year, then to a private school, and given additional classes in computers, English, etc. They were bright and happy, but mostly street kids, which Deepa is not, so she felt uncomfortable. Shobha and I were a bit afraid that if we left her she may try to take the train (the station is only 5 mins. away) and think she could head back home, in which case we may put her into a more dangerous situation.

So I'm going to look at Goraj again, near Baroda. Santosh is also meeting her next week. A few of his friends are interested in helping the kids, and are willing to put together some money. He said he's had a look at a residential school in Pune (200 kms away from here) which may take Deepa and her two younger brothers."