HCL Foundation in Partnership with Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissionerate launch two Mobile Education and Protection Vans under “Nanhe Parinde” initiative in Noida, Gautam Buddh Nagar

Noida: HCL Foundation (HCLF), the CSR arm of HCL Technologies in partnership with the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissionerate inaugurated two Mobile Education and Protection vans under its “Nanhe Parinde” initiative for children living in difficult circumstances (CIDC).

Through various Flagship Programs of HCL Foundation, ~seven lakh children across India and ~40,000 children across Gautam Buddh Nagar are reached through the Education Initiatives.

‘Nanhe Parinde’ is an initiative under HCL Uday, HCL Foundation’s urban flagship program. Currently, four mobile vans are operating in the Gautam Buddh Nagar area under the program.

The event was graced by Mr. Narendra Bhushan, CEO, Greater Noida Authority today. Commissioner of Police, Gautam Buddh Nagar Mr. Alok Singh flagged off the initiative along with his wife Mrs. Akanksha Singh, in the presence of Ms. Pushpanjali Devi, IPS, Addl. Commissioner of Police (HQ), Ms. Nidhi Pundhir, Director, HCL Foundation and Mr. Sanjay Gupta, Director, CHETNA.

The Nanhe Parinde initiative aims to provide vulnerable children with a safe space where they will receive alternative education, arts and crafts, training in self-defense, gender and inclusion, co-curricular activities, and opportunities for sports and nutrition through a carefully designed curriculum.

Rolled out in Jan. 2021, this initiative has connected 883 out-of-school and dropouts with an alternative system of education. These children have benefited from 16,882 nutrition packets distributed under the Nanhe Parinde programme to improve their health. Around 750 community members have been informed and sensitized about Nanhe Parinde and its objectives through engaging activities conducted regularly.

108 out-of-school street-connected children have been brought into the fold of formal system of education. 69 street children have been enrolled in schools while 39 children were enrolled in OBE (Open Basic Education) category.

More than 332 children have improved their life by learning new life skills such as child rights, safe and unsafe touch, leadership and planning, decision making, and self-awareness.

These mobile education vans are equipped with modern amenities such as LCD screens, sound systems, CCTV cameras and GPS for safety and security, educational material, first aid box, handwashing station and sanitization facilities. Each van will reach out to 50 to 60 children regularly on daily basis with support from the local police stations at pre-determined spots.

HCLF’s NGO partner, Childhood Enhancement through Training and Action (CHETNA), has been working for the empowerment of street-connected children through education since 2002 and is the implementing partner of this program. A highly skilled team along with a female driver, community mobilizer and educator will travel to the designated spots.

Guidance and mentoring support will be provided so that children have access to counseling, safe infrastructure, and observe important days/events for social awareness, environmental awareness etc. along with regular health checkups, gender and inclusion sessions and self-defense training.

Quote from Narendra Bhushan, CEO, Greater Noida Authority

We congratulate HCL Foundation, Gautam Buddha Nagar Police Commissionerate and CHETNA NGO for stepping forward for the welfare of the most marginalized children. We are also extremely proud to associate for mobilizing the support for street children who have fallen out of the education system through the Nanhe Parinde initiative. We feel that the program should be expanded to other locations by bringing in more children under its ambit.

Quote of Shri Alok Singh, Commissioner of Police, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Noida

The collaborative initiative of Gautam Buddha Nagar Police Commissionerate, HCL Foundation and CHETNA NGO has resulted in creating a confident and favourable environment for the disadvantaged and street connected children. This effort will protect the children from slipping into conflict with law and will further empower them to build on to their dreams and contribute to the nation building agenda. These children and youth are the future of our country and together we need to nurture and support their hidden talent from an early age to help them become responsible citizens.”

Quote of Ms Nidhi Pundhir, Director, HCL Foundation

‘Nanhe Parinde initiative was launched under our urban flagship program- HCL Uday in January, 2021. Through this initiative, in collaboration with Gautam Buddha Nagar Police Commissionerate and our NGO partner CHETNA, we have been able to bring positive transformation in lives of many children who were disproportionately affected owing to their circumstances and the pandemic. The success of the programmes in the first phase propelled us to expand the initiative by adding two new Mobile Education and Protection vans. Looking at the unmet need, we believe that the expanded outreach will enable us to impact and transform the lives of many more children from underserved communities, helping them become a part of mainstream, with utmost dignity.’

Quote from Sanjay Gupta, Director CHETNA NGO

We have designed these education vans keeping in mind all the major needs of street-connected children. These vans are equipped with COVID prevention protocols, security cameras, seating arrangement, nutrition, stationery to provide quality education to children. This collaborative model has been designed in a way so that this can be adopted by gov or any other organization.