Street Smart was started in 2009 on the pavement outside Astley Hall in Dehradun with 5 street childrenwho werebegging and rag picking for a living. The original focus of this project was art therapy and basic literacy.
The scope of this project has increased since the start of the program. Almost 500 children benefit from this project. Today, our aim is to bring children into literacy and mainstream them into schools. 180 children have been mainstreamed into schools the last six years.
Our Outreach team is responsible for raising awareness in the community for the need for education, relationship building and bringing the children into local learning centres. This is the start of a stepped learning progression in to formal education. Aasraa then sponsors their school fees, uniform, stationary.
The National Institute for Open School (NIOS) program is also a part of the Street Smart program. Aasraa is the only certified exam and study centre for NIOS- Open Basic Education program for class 3, 5 & 8 in Dehradun. This allows children of all ages to achieve school certification irrespective of their ages.
This year, 12 students have successfully passed class 3. Currently, 27 students have been enrolled for Class 5 exams.
The Anti Begging Campaign is a part of Street Smart as well. This project is focused on the empowerment of child beggars through basic literacy, vocational training, nutrition, grooming & medical care. This project is run in conjunction with Dehradun's district administration and child welfare organisation Childline.