Family Services Foundation, Hyderabad India - Family Care Foundation humanitarian project

Family Services Foundation (FSF) has had programs in place since 1995, reaching out to street children via value education programs and workshops, counseling and entertainment programs. Additionally their programs for the deaf community orchestrate leadership-training, counseling, awareness, cultural programs and job placement.

In the medical field FSF has contributed their services to cancer rehabilitation programs, mobilizing of treatment as well as needed funding for cancer patients, and a range of other programs geared to bettering the conditions of the blind and disabled, and are now working on rehabilitation of AIDS victims as well as health awareness programs in schools and colleges, along with hosting seminars.

Assisting Street Children

As in other Indian cities, migrants flock to Hyderabad in search of a better livelihood. The communities that are forced to migrate the most are the most marginalized, which also includes the often-unnoticed groups of children, who eke out their living on the streets.

A class in progress at our shelter.

Malini inspecting school work.

We have shelters around the city providing free education, care, vocational training and job placement, all made possible by contributions from the local community.

Tara, a foreign student, spending time with
the street kids.

Mohammed, an Arab student, takes a keen
interest in the street children.

Our efforts on behalf of these kids is focused on weekly rehabilitation workshops, counseling, home placement, vocational training and job placement.

A software engineer & a dentist visit our
shelter to spend time with the children.

Children show Tara school work at the
street children shelter.

Children who are identified soon after they land on the streets and have not yet been initiated to substance abuse, or undergone traumatic experiences such as sexual or physical abuse are more easily motivated. If we can reach these children at this stage, and get information about their home, we arrange for them to be sent or escorted to their parents, or the parents are informed of their whereabouts so they can take them back. On an average monthly basis we are able to home place around 50 children.

FSF also conducts a course designed by the child welfare and education department of the government known as the Bridge Course whereby children who are orphaned and/or children whose family atmosphere is not congenial are motivated through non-formal education. We raise funds to help sponsor their education so that the child can go to a regular school without any stigmatization or labels that he is a street child.

Street children at a sports meet.

Children at a community event.

Besides all the educational coaching and organizing, we love to see these children smile, and often arrange outings and event “just for fun” throughout the year.

Railroad Platform Awareness Campaign

Sunil, Malini & team at the Railway Platform Awareness Camp.	Our team at the Secunderabad Railway Platform Awareness Camp.
Our volunteers interacting with visitors at the station.	Street children awareness camp in progress.
Our street presence worker interacting with a runaway boy on the railway platform.	Our street presence worker conecting with runaway children.
Children met on the platform during our one month railway platform awareness camp.	Malini handing out snacks during our railway platfrom awareness camp.

Uplifting the Deaf Community

FSF trainers conduct regular Literacy Classes, Sign Language Courses, personality development programs and training in social work for the deaf. About 200 deaf youth participate in these weekly classes at a local school. These classes have helped the participants cope with their deafness, overcome their handicap and adopt a more positive attitude to life in general. They also help to facilitate vocational training for the deaf and create employment opportunities for them. Through this project many deaf have started various self-employment ventures.

FSF organizes regular cultural events for the deaf, thereby giving them a forum to meet and interact. Other services to the deaf include marriage counseling, interpreter services, social and management counseling. All these initiatives have vastly improved the lives of the Deaf and have gone a long way in making them productive members of society.

Club for the Parents of Hearing Impaired Children

Deaf children and youth often find it hard to communicate with their parents, friends and family. In many cases their relatives don’t take time to learn proper sign language and as result the youth get frustrated and a negative cycle of poor communication develops. In order to cope with this problem FCF has set up a club for the parents of the deaf youth and children, whereby the parents can discuss their problems, find solutions, share ideas and tips. This has proven to be a tremendous help to help both the children as well as the parents to grow in a positive manner.

Networking With Other Organizations

FSF has found the best investment of resources and manpower is to support and enhance the efforts of other dedicated organizations. We focus on improving the quality of the life for children in shelters and hospitals through holding motivational camps, excursions, outings, vocational training, and character building via audio-video programs.

FSF participates in promoting various governmental programs, such as World Disabled Day, various Health Camps and AIDS awareness camps, as well as conduct door-to-door awareness, and volunteer in water shed programs, camps for distribution of tricycles, crutches, calipers for the disabled, and hearing aids for the hearing impaired.

Vinay & Michael with the physically
challenged at a multipurpose camp.

Physically challenged at the multi-purpose
camp for the disabled held at Guntur.

Through these camps volunteers from FSF were able to counsel the handicapped, the aged and the needy; to help in the follow-up treatment to cope with emotional and mental stress, as well as advice on managing their finances. They received counsel on how to cope with their handicap and have a positive outlook on life.

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