Special Rehabilitation Programme (SpRP)
This is the most challenging part of Swapath’s work. Currently, three projects are covered under this programme. This programme is termed as ‘The Special Rehabilitation Programme (SpRP)’ because these projects and participating children require much more than mere financial support for education. The type of children covered under the programme need special rehabilitation efforts to allow them to grow as useful, normal, citizens fulfilling their duties to the society and in return ensuring that they get their own rights from the society.
The first project is called ‘Paras Project’ which involves rehabilitation / education of the children of Commercial Sex Workers (CSWs) and HIV+ parents. These children (esp. those of CSWs) live in not-so-congenial home environments. It is not only the constraints of physical infrastructure and income but also the non-conducive living milieu due to the profession of their parent/s. Swapath supports these children in two ways: some are placed in Ashram Shalas (rural residential schools mostly run on Gandhian ideals of primary education – what is known as Nai Taleem) whereas others stay at home and go to the nearby government or private schools.
The second project under the special rehabilitation programme is an effort to educate the children of families who are forced to migrate for their livelihood for as long as 6 to 8 months every year. This affects the education of their children as they also migrate with the families. This project is called ‘Banful’ project as it is with the children of the beautiful forested area of The Dangs. The overarching aim of the BANFUL project is to offer an opportunity to children of migrating families to access schooling by continuing to live in their own villages while their parents migrate for livelihood. Swapath currently works in 30 villages, with hostels in 6 of them, retaining about 300 children in the seasonal hostels.
Under SpRP over 5000 students have been supported so far with 460 students provided support in 2022-23.