‘Not every child in orphanages is an orphan’

Life in an orphanage is not easy, but education and a secure environment can ensure not only survival but also success for children who call orphanages their homes. The Sunday Guardian took a closer look at some Delhi orphanages to find how well maintained they are and the kind of life that children in orphanages live. Orphanages are generally looked down upon and are assumed to be an unfit place for any normal child. However, there are children who would choose an orphanage over a footpath even if the facilities are not the best.

The Bal Sahyog (orphanage), located at the heart of the national capital in Connaught Place, houses about 125 children. On visiting its premises after Children’s Day, these correspondents saw that the campus was well decorated with balloons and streamers all across. While some children were busy playing in the fore courtyard, some were still resting in their seemingly untidy beds. Quickly passing a smile, Sameer (name changed), a 12-year-old child playing with his friends, said, “We also go to school.” Asked further, he said, “I study in class five in a nearby government school.” Mohammad Salam Khan, Executive Director of Bal Sahyog, said that all the children in the orphanage are given basic education in addition to vocational trainings. The children who end up in orphanages are not always orphans. Some run away from their families due to poverty, some are abandoned by their parents and some run away due to physical and mental abuse by their stepparents.