Vasavya Mahila Mandali - Children Village

Project Brief: Children's Village- A Transit Home for orphans and vulnerable children
Project Type: Child Home (description)
Primary Focus: orphans (description)

Secondary Focus: children with disabilities

Area: Rural
Supporting Chapter Contact: Boston
Status: completed - requirements ended
Project Steward: Jagadish Gattu
Project Partner(s): Chennupati Vidya
Other Contacts:
Project Address: , Children,Vemavaram Village,K.Tadepalli Panchayath,
ANDHRA PRADESH  520010
Tel: 91-866-2473056
Stewarding Chapter: Boston
Sep 2011BostonUSD 6000
Apr 2011BostonUSD 3250

Total = $9250

Children's village concept evolved with increased orphaning in the community and the single common cause of orphaning being HIV and AIDS. These children are living with extended families; uncles, aunts and mostly with grandparents. The economic status, family structure and social reasons are affecting the well being of the orphans. VMM believes in keeping the child within the family fold and to have strong roots for them to grow with security. But multiple models are needed for these children as the epidemic of HIV is being unfolded. Children are left on the streets after the death of their parents and due to migration of the families due to stigma; the children are not having extended families to care for them. This became a challenge for the community.

VMM runs is Children’s village which is located in Vemavaram, about 20km from Vijayawada. Children’s village has 2 acres of land which is given by Govt. of India. Children’s village program provides shelter, support, educational guidance to vulnerable children. Some of the children who are part of the children village program also suffer from HIV/AIDS and are provided with

i. Treatments at govt. hospitals
ii. Educational Support
iii. Nutritional food
iv. Guidance on how to maintain hygiene, health
v. Counseling, support and care taking.

The children need high protein nutrition as they are anemic, neglected by parents, living with HIV and tuberculosis. The children are admitted in Government Schools for continuation of their education and the institutes are sensitised about their health status. Counseling with play way methodology is giving good results. Recreation to ventilate the trauma is on going. As some of the children are living with HIV, medical treatment is constantly available with experienced doctors volunteering their services and availing the government medical facilities; Anti Retroviral Therapy, admission in the pediatric ward of Government hospital.
To provide shelter and educational facilities for underprivileged children (orphans, children living with medical conditions, trafficked children)
Vasavaya Mahila Mandali, a nonprofit organization, established in 1969, works on several programs that are directed towards empowerment of women and children and their socio-economic problems. VMM wants to promote comprehensive social, economic and political development for women and children in vulnerable situations, thereby empowering communities in AP to improve their quality of life. To achieve its vision of empowering communities in AP, VMM increases community awareness through support of govt. schools and the creation of vocational and non-formal education centres. VMM also promotes entrepreneurship and financial sustainability of vulnerable families by educating them on their rights and available services, providing them with employment opportunities or access to credit, and developing community support structures.VMM delivers messages through locally-accepted cultural activities; executes rights-based, participatory approaches; and engages civil society, government, funding agencies, and corporate stakeholders.

VMM also works on HIV/AIDS programs and is providing guidance to several other organizations which are working on HIV/AIDS in India and as well as in African countries. They run several programs like counseling services, vocational courses, health camps etc. Overall VMM has about 70 programs, some of them they coordinate with other NGO’s and support across the state of Andhra Pradesh.