The Deccan Herald of Bangalore recently published an August 30th story on the Self-Expression Leadership Program project of Roshini Davidson. Davidson’s project is designed to ambitiously tackle the issue of child homelessness and poverty through a complete program of education, job training and medical help. The story appears below.

Connecting Dreams

Suryana Suresh

Bengaluru has a growing breed of Good Samaritans. And the best bit about them is that they are practical when it comes to helping people out. Instead of going out and starting something fully new, they mobilise resources and energy channelise the existing organisations. Street Smart too is an organisation which is helping kids living in these homes for street kids and helping them get better options other than the available small scale industries vocational training.

“I really think that every child is talented and if geven the right guidance and opportunity, can showcase his or her talent. Currently we are working with Bosco Mane in Chamarajpet, where we go and interact with kids and help them nurture their talents. We have Arka teaching them movement and theatre, we also have people teaching martial arts and music too,” says Roshni Ruth Davidson, the brain behind Street Smart.

The ideology behind the group, which isn’t an NGO but a bunch of proactive people is to prevent the Bengaluru streets from being flooded with children begging.

“There are way too many children on the streets of Begaluru who are used and abused to push the begging industry. Over the past two years we have seen more kids on the streets and a soaring rise in the number of children below 14 who are being disfigured to push the envelope with the begging industry. If left the way it is we will have a seriously critical condition on our hands and that’s not something we want.”