Street Kids International is working to help street youth in Mumbai, India learn business and saving skills that will help them earn a livng to support themselves and their families.
India: Mumbai youth on the move.
India has the largest population of street children in the world with at least 18 million children living or working on the streets of urban India; UNICEF estimates there are 250,000 in Mumbai alone.
These youth live in situations where there is no protection, supervision, or direction from responsible adults. They have turned to the streets for many reasons which include poverty, family break-ups, abuse, natural and man-made disasters, and lack of employment opportunities.
Street Kids International is pursuing a three-year partnership with Mumbai-based youth organization Saathi, to address this growing number of street youth by introducing the Street Business Toolkit to organizations in Mumbai.
By doing so, Street Kids will equip street youth with entrepreneurship and saving skills to start their own businesses. Street Kids will provide entrepreneurship training, materials and expertise to local youth workers who in turn will go on to teach local youth. These youth will benefit by learning step by step how to successfully develop a business plan they can put into action.
The Street Business Tookit will be adapted to meet the specific needs of youth on the streets of Mumbai. The Toolkit is interactive and participatory, providing business skills through hands on activities. Additional elements will include information about microfinance options and a mentorship component which will provide youth with the support they need from local community members to successfully start up a small business.
In the process, street kids in Mumbai will be able to better afford daily living costs such as food and shelter for themselves and their families. By setting sound foundations of business knowledge, these street youth will grow to support themselves in sustainable ways while improving their quality of life.
This project is just the beginning of Street Kids’ planned initiatives to work with youth in India and help them pursue opportunities that will change their lives for the better.
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