Aasraa: How a trust is empowering slum kids in Dehradun

Shaila Brijnath and Neelu Khanna have infused hope - an alien concept - and dreams of a future in 1800 street and slum children in Dehradun. Here's how

Hope is an alien concept if you are born a child in Dehradun’s Bindal slum lining the side-banks of the unpredictable Bindal river in the city. Your parents are mostly daily wage labour working at construction sites. In many cases, the father is addicted to alcohol and unable to function. Parents – if both are working - leave for work early morning. The eldest female sibling is left to fend for the younger ones. Food is a luxury. A lot of the earnings – meagre to begin with – are spent on alcohol and it’s not uncommon for women to