The Edith Wilkins Street Children Foundation is a non-profit organisation that is based in Darjeeling, India. Darjeeling is bordered by Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan which is why the town is a common route used by child traffickers when smuggling children to India. These children are victims of child labour, trafficking, abusive families and disadvantaged/economically weak families. Majority of them have suffered abuse of some kind (sexual, physical, mental and emotional, torture, exposure to harmful substances, and neglect).
The Edith Wilkins Street Foundation provides care and protective support to street children after rescue. The foundation is focused on giving these children normal childhood by continuous counselling, healthcare, and encouraging them to attend drop-in centres for education in order to get them ready to enter formal school.
In 2018, ElectricAid funded support to 55 children entering school year by providing them new sets of uniforms , school books and stationary, shoes, rain boots and school bags along with a whole year’s worth of school fees.
Their confidence increased as they were able to go to school with brand new uniforms replacing their old torn clothes. The new books and stationary brought more interest and enthusiasm in the class. The after school coaching classes provided extra guidance for those children who needed help. The children are now focused on learning rather than worrying about dropping out of school due to financial issues.
Overall, the project brought a positive impact on the 55 children going into formal school, giving them an opportunity to have a normal childhood and to avail themselves to a world of knowledge that they well deserve. Also, it directly addresses the UN Sustainable Goals No. 4.
“With support from ElectricAid, we have been able to reach some of the most vulnerable children in the world, providing the skills and education needed to enter mainstream schools and giving them an opportunity to have a normal childhood. Thanks again for your continued support.”– Edith Wilkins
electricaid.ie 