Don Bosco Ashalayam

Über uns

Don Bosco Ashalayam, a part of the global network of the Salesians of Don Bosco, is a New Delhi- Palam based, non-government, non-profit, non-political, social, charitable organization registered under Societies' Registration Act, 1860 and founded in 1997.
It is a licensed children's home (a Home of Hope) for children: in need of care and protection (street children, orphans, homeless, abandoned, unaccompanied, neglected, missing/run away, lost & found, children found begging, trafficking children, child laborers, marginalised youth etc.).

Our vision
Building the dreams and shaping the lives of the young at risk for a just and humane society

Our Mission
• Empower the young at risk to be agents of personal and social transformation through a participatory approach.
• Provide positive environments that will prevent exploitation and neglect.
• Accompany the young at risk in their struggle to grow to fullness in freedom and humanness network with like-minded individuals and groups to provide effective support to the young at risk.
• Advocacy efforts at national and international levels to uphold the rights of the young at risk.

Our Strategies
• Street presence entails us to be with the child/youth on the street whether he/she is working. It is an active presence. The street educator intervenes to activate the positive forces to reduce the dehumanizing situations.
• Weaning: A child has rights but due to age constraints is unable to claim his/her rights. Ashalayam therefore plays a vital role in protecting and promoting the rights of children. We help the children to understand what they have not been able to resolve and make them aware of their own rights and duties. We invite them to our Children's Home/ Shelter home, on request, admit them to our homes.
• Grooming: This stage takes place once the children become sure that there is a better place than the nastiness and misery of the street. They are assisted to build up personal hygiene, proper dressing habits, and hale and hearty habits. Providing them love and guidance, instilling self-respect through clean route, civil performance, and developing their sense of responsibility.
• Training: We give the children the option of either Formal/Non-Formal or Vocational training. If they want and are capable, they can proceed for higher studies. It helps the children to bring out their talents and later on earn an honest livelihood.
• Earning: The children learn to earn from the workshops by selling their crafts, spend a portion of their earnings and save the rest. We personally scrutinize their progress through regular visits to their places. After the age of eighteen, the young adults are placed in rented homes, where they learn to produce for themselves and stand on their own feet.
• Homing: In the last and final stage the children have turn out to be responsible citizens. He has the freedom to choose his style of life. As self dependent and contributing citizens they go into society. Thus our efforts to transform Don Bosco’s legacy of love into action on behalf of the young at risk is attained.

Our work
• The house has the capacity to provide rehabilitation facilities for 150 children at any point of time.
• Asha Reachout is a street contact programme for the purpose of strengthening the contacts with the children on the street.
• Don Bosco Youth Bank is an initiative by Young at Risk who have received some training to support other children in need. It is a bank which funds self-employment programmes by Young at Risk. The Computer-training Institute at the Centre caters to the slum children and school drop-outs. Ashalayam is also part of the Kidavary network which aims to provide life skills training to slum youth.
• From 2001, Ashalayam has taken up a ‘skills building programme’ for urban refugees. Services are psychosocial support, job placement, organization of youth clubs, community animation and education, income generation and self employment.
• Ashalayam also runs a 24-hour free emergency “Child Helpline” for children in distress.

Fr. Edward Sacrawat is the Director of Don Bosco Ashalayam.

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.