The simple answer is: Yes, we do expect a donation from adoptive parents who can afford to help the institution, and from anybody who can help a homeless child find it's future. The fact is, it costs money to take care of of any child. It costs MORE money to take GOOD care of disadvantaged infants, who are away from their biological parents. So, what is involved in managing an adoption center ? Child Care The children of Snehankur get good nutrition and the best medical care possible under the circumstances. All essential immunizations and vaccines are given to Snehankur's children. High standards of hygiene is maintained in the adoption center. The floors are always kept clean with regular use of disinfectants. Individually labelled feeding bottles are sterilized before using. The good health of our children and zero mortality rate in the center a testimony to the quality of care given by Snehankur's staff. This is despite getting extremely under nourished children and ill children coming into our center all the time. Many times, child care at Snehankur begin even before the child is born. After a few months of pregnancy, unwed mothers-to-be are adviced against abortion by doctors. Snehankur admits these pregnant women too. Baby care starts from the womb. We provide required medical treatment and nutritional support for the mother, to help her give birth to a healthy child. Pregancy and delivery is managed in good hospitals under the supervison of Snehankur's caretakers. A dedicated team Snehankur has 16 staff - care takers, co-ordinators, nurses, counselors. They are a passionate team working with lowest salaries for their skill levels. They work on a contract basis without insurance, mediclaim or any similar benefits of the corporate world, just because they are inspired by the cause . There is no grant or funding for Snehankur from the Government or other trusts. Medical expenses are getting costlier by the day. So are the costs for food and electricity. However we keep administration costs as low as possible by running our office out of a renovated garage, which can get very hot during summer in Ahmednagar. Unadopted children Legal proceedings Excessive delay in legal proceedings put the future of children in danger. Abandoned children should be released for adoption speedily. Pending hearings of adoption petitions should be completed quickly. In Ahmednagar, there is no family court and adoption cases get piled up amidst other cases. Though we have many lawyers providing services at a discount, the costs increases with every delay in the legal process. The children may just become too old to be of interest to prospective parents. We have dedicated co-ordinators working with the legal system to follow up and hasten every adoption case, to a avoid a child losing it's future due to administration delays Rehabliation of mothers Expenses are incurred for rehabilating mothers. Snehankur provides medical help, shelter, counselling and support for rehabilitation and societal re-integration of unwed mothers and raped victims, who relinquish their children for Snehankur. The process of adoption remains incomplete until rehabilitation and social empowerment of the unwed mother is done. Sadly. this aspect is rarely paid attention to. Snehankur, addresses this complex but delicate issue of unwed mothers' insecurity. These women are provided an opportunity to take professional employment or education free of cost. Many women have completed bachelor degrees and have found career in the fields of fashion designing, catering technology and nursing. Snehankur has arranged for their marriage too. Physically handicapped women have also been rehablitated successfully Counselling Adoptive parents Most parents face apprehensions and dilemmas before and after adoption. They have several queries, both legal and psychological. Snehankur provides free counseling to the parents even if they are not adopting from Snehankur. Snehankur also assists parents to prepare documentation even if the family is adopting from other institutions. Snehankur maintains special bond of love and affection with every family that adopts our children. They are a part of our big family. Awareness programs Avoiding child relinquishments We at Snehakur, try our best to keep a child with their biological parents as much as possible. Infants are normally relinquished by raped victims, single mothers and poverty striken families. When a raped victim can file a criminal case under the clause 376 of the IPC against the father of her child, if the mother is a position to fight the battle of justice, Snehankur extends all possible legal and moral support. During the period we provide shelter to the mother and the child, in our 'Bharat mata Kendra'. When poor families come to 'Snehalaya' to surrender their child they cannot afford, we find other solutions to empower the family to shoulder the responsibility of their biological child. The government scheme of 'Balsangopan Yojana' offers four hundreds rupees for nurturing children in poor families. There are other employment and shelter schemes of the government. We coordinate to help these benefits reach the family. We also offer our hostel facilities to the poor families to avoid the surrender of their little one Parents from all classes Generally, adoption was regarded as the privilege of the rich families. Snehankur never makes any sort of discrimination in its thoughts and actions. We have the parents from all religions, regions, castes and creeds. Snehankur believes that the contentment of parenthood should be available for all families irrespective of economic status. Snehankur has helped many poor families by taking up all adoption costs, as we were convinced that the child would be brought up in a loving environment with good family values and ethos Immediate Future Plans Snehankur can make a bigger difference to the society, with every additional rupee we can get. At the moment, we have plans and are working on the following improvements to our adoption center 2. Well equipped ambulance for infants and pregnant women 3. A rehabilitation center for unwed mothers and rape victims 4. To build a separate home for children with special needs Governance and Accountability Snehankur believes in maintaining highest standards of governance and accountability All donations to Snehankur are exempt from income tax under section 80G. We provide receipts and maintain accounts for every rupee we receive and spend. Our accounts are audited regularly and we maintain a high standards of disclosure and accountability. The donors are assured that their money is spent for the right things. They are welcome to verify our account books. Our trustees and members of the board are among the most respected individuals in the society. |
Snehankur >