Himalayan Times (1962)

Uimalapatt Kims a

A NEWS WEEKLY PUBLISHED EVERY SUNDAY

VOL. XV JULY 15, 1962. NO. VL

HOME FOR DESTITUTE CHILDREN

( From Oar Correspondent )
Darjeeling, July 11.

Beggii g by children
is not only a problem in
this small hill town but
of the whole district.
Here in Uarjeeling theae
children are beooming an
ineiplioiible problem. Po-
verty and negligence are
the two main reaaona
why children are com-
pelled to beg. In 1961,
the Darjeeling branch of
the Indian Red Cross
Society gave a drive to
eradicate child beggary
by giving milk and cloth-
ings. This year the Red
Cross has taken up a
puiesaut scheme with a
view to eradioate begging
by children from this
town They have opened
a sobool with twentvfive
begger-children, where
they are given free tuition,
mid day meal, clothing
and medical treatment.
These children are now
kept in the School from
10 A. M. to 4 P M.

But in order to im-
plement the scheme suc-

cessfully the Red Cross
has to overcome some
difficulties In the first
place, it was noticed, that
sometimes it ia difficult
to bring children under
the coverage of four walls
and make them study. In
the second place, which ia
the main problem now, is
the n»ed for a' building to
accomodate these children,
in absence of which the Red
Crossisnowoonfronted with
problem of desisting these
chi'dren from begging after
4 P.M. Moreover if these
children are not kept
separated from the circum-
stances iit which they live
now there oannot be any
hope of their moral or
material progress.

The problem.could be
efficieutlv solved if ' a
propsr shelter for the
children could be provided
so that they would not
go astray and roam about
ia the streets The local
Red Cross, it is under-
stood, is seriously consi-

dering a proposal to cons-
truct a 'Home' for the des-
titute children in which
voca tional training oum-
general education would be
given.

The root cause of
vagrancy and child begg-
ing in the society is
socio economic- The help-
less condition of the chil-
dren is also taken advan-
tage by anti-sooial ele-
ments who has been using
them as a source of income.
The Red Croaa baa issued
an appeal to the people
in which they have re-
quested to canalize the
individuat expression of
sympathy for the home-
lees and child beggers
towards organisational so-
lution. They have requested
the people, not to give
tips to the children, but
to send them to the Red
Cross School; and also to
assist its endevour to
desist child beggary.

This novel projeot of
Red Cross is now in the
embryonic stage, but if
necessary help and coope-
ration is received from
the people and Govern-
ment then in very near
( Continued on page 4 )

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