Child Care

Deep Griha creches provide early education for children, preparing them for school by the age of
four. They also provide assistance to families: with children cared for safely during the day so
that both parents can go out to work and elder siblings are able to attend school. The children
receive overall care, and a lot of emphasis is laid on working with parents and building positive
relationships with the community.

Crèches– Deep Griha runs 9 crèches, caring for almost 200 children (167 recent) every day at all
three centres. The crèches are open to children ranging from ages 6 months to 5 years and
operate in the Tadiwala Road, Bibewadi and Ramtekadi centres.

The teachers come from our target communities itself and are given rigorous and regular
training. Our crèches provide a safe environment in which the young children are able to learn in
a play way method.

This gives parents the confidence that their children are well looked after and hence, they are
able to find and maintain jobs to further help support their families.

The parents are also invited for monthly meetings with their child’s teachers, to monitor
progress and address any problems.

Nutrition Centre– Children in our target communities are susceptible to illnesses and
malnourishment. Poor sanitation and hygiene are exacerbated by lack of nutritious food. Since
its early years, Deep Griha has believed that a wholesome and well-balanced diet is essential for
maintaining good health. So, for all children in the crèches, especially those who are identified
by our health workers, as suffering from malnutrition or chronic ill health, we provide daily
nutrition. This is done by providing nutritious food (according to WHO standards) such as milk,
porridge peanut ladoos.

City of Child

The City of Child programme recognises the need for children to flourish in a safe and secure
environment. The programme identifies the most vulnerable children from the Aadhar Kendra
Scheme through fieldworkers, who are then placed at the City of Child hostel situated on the
outskirts of Pune city. These children are either orphans or single parent children who are living
in a difficult or risky environment because of which their ability to reach their full potential is
hampered. At the City of Child, the children receive:

Secure accommodation away from difficult circumstances

Enrolment in local schools and Deep Griha Academy

Well balanced meals

Medical care- medical health checkups are conducted regularly. Awareness sessions on health
and hygiene are carried out for the children at COC.

Recreational activities- picnics and celebration of festivals, birthdays and annual functions

Academic support provided for school subjects in terms of study guidance

Participation in sports, dance, drawing and cultural activities organised all over the country.

Career guidance and counselling.

Impact: 186 children since 2005

Adult Education

Deep Griha provides basic literacy classes (covering 1st to 4th Standards) and post-literacy
classes (5th to 7th Standard). Basic literacy classes give a measure of confidence to previously
illiterate women. Many of the women attending these classes choose to continue with the post-
literacy classes, after which they can attain the school completion certificate. This qualification
gives them the opportunity to take up a job and become financially independent. We also hold a
number of awareness courses and informal education seminars, covering topics such as health
and hygiene, women’s rights and financial skills.

172,315

Through Sale

Income Generation Programme

The Programme aims to train women in the community in skills such as jewellery making, paper-
quilling and sewing in order to supplement their household incomes. This programme is mainly
works with housewives, as the product can be easily made as per their convenience. These
products are marketed both locally and internationally.

IMPACT- 2007 – 1,72,315 through sale

Self-help Groups

Deep Griha has helped set up self-help groups in each one of our target slum communities and
in nearby villages. The aim is for the groups to become independent and self-sufficient. The
women involved, agree on the activities and aims of the group. They provide support to each
other. This can be in the form of emotional support, or through initiatives such as financial co-
operatives and income generation projects. Deep Griha is therefore not directly involved in the
day-to-day running of the groups. Nevertheless, Deep Griha helps the women to initiate them,
and provides support for their continued success where needed. The groups empower women
to change their own lives through working together and supporting each other in their ambitions
and building their confidence.