🛡️ Every Child Deserves a Safe Childhood
Every child has the right to grow up in a safe, caring and protective environment. Yet, thousands of children living in slums and on the streets remain vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, neglect and violence, often suffering in silence without access to protection or support.
To address these challenges, Ruchika has developed Surakshita Saisav—an innovative, community-based and community-led child protection model that empowers children, families, schools and local stakeholders to prevent abuse and safeguard children's rights. Supported by the Azim Premji Foundation, the programme is building sustainable child protection systems where communities themselves become the first line of defence against violence and exploitation.
🌍 Our Reach & Impact
The initiative is currently implemented across 16 urban slums, 7 street locations and 13 neighbourhood schools, creating safe spaces where children are heard, protected and empowered. Through child rights education, community awareness, stakeholder engagement, reporting mechanisms and access to support services, the programme encourages families and communities to break the silence around child abuse and take collective responsibility for every child's safety.
Today, Surakshita Saisav directly reaches 2,770 children living in slums, 202 children in street situations, and 2,600 students in neighbourhood schools—ensuring that thousands of children grow up with greater protection, confidence and hope.
At Ruchika, we believe that protecting children is a shared responsibility. Together with communities and partners, we are creating a future where every child is safe, every voice is heard and every childhood is protected.
📋 Services Provided (2024-25)
🌟 Case Study: From Darkness to Light
About 32 families were living alongside a dump yard at the back of Sainik School. This was a most dirty and dangerous place, especially for children, due to the risk of terrible foul smells from solid waste and constant infections. Yet, people lived there out of compulsion, surviving by collecting rags from the dump yard. The children were found most vulnerable, constantly suffering from different diseases due to infection and worm infestation. In addition, as the solid waste of the entire Bhubaneswar city was gathered there, the cottages of these people were constantly broken and people were frequently injured.
Ruchika started its intervention with the School on Wheels program and put almost all children into school. The needy families were provided with nutrition and linked to government services. Ruchika organized the people who demanded housing for the homeless before the Corporator and Bhubaneswar Municipality Corporation.
After two years of constant advocacy, 32 families of these areas were provided with Pakka houses at Chandrasekharpur area. People are now very happy and express their gratitude to Ruchika and the Azim Premji Foundation for their support, which made this possible for these homeless families.