Project ANAND- Academic Nurturing and Nutritional Development targets children of families of drug users and other addicts residing in West Delhi district.

Context and Nature of Children’s Vulnerability

Aged between 5 to 12 years, vulnerability of targeted children stems from the following:

• Key male family members are addicted to drugs, alcoholism etc.
• Families mostly earn Rs.5000 or less a month
• Principal occupations include selling old cloths, rag picking, rickshaw pulling, vegetable vending and unorganised labour
• Addiction to drugs results in domestic violence

Our baseline survey shows children's vulnerability as under:

• Children not enrolled in school
• Lack of learning space at home
• Lack of parental guidance and motivation for learning
• Malnutrition
• High prevalence of child labour
• Consumption of drugs by children
• Inadequate time and space for recreation

Covering 50 children at present with plan to include more soon, following activities are implemented under Project ANAND:

• Non-formal education and mainstreaming in formal school
• Children’s routine and need-based health check up
• Provision for daily supplementary nutrition for children
• Counselling of parents and guardians with focus on childcare and prohibition of child labour
• Extra-curricular activities

Need of Fundraising

HDS has been managing Project ANAND since December 2018 with the help of dedicated volunteers and limited donations. Need of funds is being increasingly felt now, as we plan to strengthen on-going activities and cover more vulnerable children due to demands of families.

Your generous support will help the targeted children gain access to formal education, teach children in a walled premises (now we use open space- a park), and provide children supplementary nutrition, healthcare and recreation. Most significantly, it will help them move away from the evils of drugs and child labour.