A bank for street children

by Piya Kochhar
published by Radio Netherlands Worldwide, The State We're In
03-10-2008

[Watch: Witness - Banking on the future - Part 1 on youtube]

Street children running a bank for other street children. The idea might sound incongruous, but over 8,000 street children around the world are saving some of their meager earnings to build a better life. The State We're In's Piya Kochhar went to visit one of these banks in the Indian capital, New Delhi.

When I was asked to do a piece about a bank for street children, I don't know what I expected but I didn't expect what I found. The Children's Development Khazana was created by a non-governmental organisation in New Delhi called Butterflies to teach life skills to kids who would otherwise have a pretty bleak future.

Treasure chest

In Delhi alone, 2000 street children have accounts in the 12 Khazana branches around the city. Most of these "branches" are located in make-shift posts at railway stations and crowded marketplaces... basically, anywhere where street children hang out. I visited the oldest Khazana, which means "treasure chest" in Urdu, on a Friday evening.

Located in one of Delhi's oldest and most chaotic neighbourhoods, it is actually part of a small, brightly-lit night shelter run by Butterflies for homeless boys aged between six and 16.

TV and sleep

The shelter is open 24 hours a day and the kids often wander in during the evenings to watch old Hindi movies on TV and sleep after a day out hawking.
"These children have to fend for themselves. They are at the mercy of this city. We want to create a safe space for them, a place where they can rest a while..."

says P.N. Rai, who has been a Butterflies "brother" for the past 12 years and manages this shelter. About 60 kids sleep here each night, says Rai. They're among the 100,000 homeless children in Delhi. In fact, India has the largest population of street children in the world, about 10 million.

Most of these kids ran away to the big city from their small villages to escape poverty or abusive families.

Dream of a different future

When they come to the city, they make a meager earning hawking or picking garbage, earning daily wages of about one euro on good days. Many get addicted to drugs and drinking, or they become prey to sexual predators. Often they are beaten by the police and find it hard to get a safe, good night's rest because they have to watch over themselves and whatever little money they've managed to make.

The Butterflies shelter is a haven amidst the chaos of the city and their lives. What's also poignant is that it's right next door to a halfway house for homeless men. The kids have to walk by this government-run shelter to get to Butterflies.

Most of the men are drunks who spend their time lying in a stupor in a gutter outside, making money only to get high. Some of the kids I spoke with pointed out that the Khazana enables them to dream of a different future than these mens'.

Classes and activities

That's what surprised me when I visited the Butterflies night shelter. It was a place rich with dreams, and the Khazana - a make-shift little counter in the corner of the room - was just one part of the many activities that take place here.

There are reading and writing classes during the day, for example, a "health post" to take care of the kids when they fall ill, stitching classes, or even morning yoga.

Deepak and friends

During my visit, I met Deepak, a precocious 13-year-old, who's been living on the streets for the past five years. He makes a living picking garbage during the day and is trying to save up 2000 rupees (about 30 euros) so that he can return home with a bike for his little brother and enough money so that his parents aren't mad at him for running away. He has 80 rupees saved up so far. He says his problem is that he eats all his money away, spending it on things like ice cream or Indian sweets he buys at the nearby market.

Deepak is also something of a gypsy; everyone who knows him says that he has trouble sticking to any one thing or place for a long time. He's constantly gallivanting all over India but he always returns to this shelter, to his Khazana account, and he often brings along a kid or two with him. His most recent friend is Raju, a boy who ran away from home a few months back.

"Whenever I meet other kids like me," says Deepak, "I tell them about this place. I tell them this is like home. They make sure you sleep well, they feed you, they teach you. Everything that parents should do, they do. The brothers here even give you love.

Indian cities and five countries. It has over 8,000 children as clients across the globe, with a collective savings of 1.67 million rupees or about 26,000 euros.

The Children's Development Khazana was started in 2001. Today it operates in seven 
Indian cities and five countries. It has over 8,000 children as clients across the 
globe, with a collective savings of 1.67 million rupees or about 26,000 euros.