DON BOSCO BALPRAFULTA ANNUAL DAY 2012

Don Bosco Balprafulta celebrates Annual Thanksgiving Day! 
Tejal Rajyagor

On June 2, 2012 Don Bosco Balprafulta celebrated its Annual Thanksgiving Day to express gratitude to the community and the stakeholders who made it possible for the organization’s progress towards its vision.

It has been an eventful year for Don Bosco Balprafulta. With a change in the leadership and a bunch of new people joining in the team, came a shift in the philosophical belief and shift in focus from Protection, Prosecution and Conviction of the Exploiter to a Children’s perspective - Aiming towards their education, ‘Happy childhood moments’, follow up of the rescued child and a Holistic development.

The event started off with a Balsaathi from our Community Project welcoming our Chief Guest Fr. Godfrey Desa the founding Director of Balprafulta along with other eminent personalities. It was heartening to hear Fr. Rector (St. Dominic Savio School) appreciating the hard work of the ex- Balprafulta staff and of the efforts of the team during the last year. Fr. Rector welcomed our Chief Guest for the evening, Fr. Godfrey D’Sa. Fr. Godfrey has played an important role in the journey of Don Bosco Balprafulta and thus it was motivating for the team to hear him share his experiences on how his team at the risk of their own lives fought for the rights of nearly 7,000 children they rescued.

After a couple of dance performances by children from the community project and who have been repatriated home through the Talaash project, there was the presentation of Don Bosco Balprafulta’s Annual Report 2011-12.

The theme for the annual day was ‘Child Labour Rescue - Realities- Challenges and Possibilities? This was to reflect on the trauma and difficulties the Rescue process has been having on the Children rescued.

A very realistic play and a video were shown on the Realities of Child Labour Rescue. The stage was then set for a panel discussion on the rescue operations process and how children feel on the day of the rescue.

The panel discussion was organized with an intention of bringing in all the stakeholders together to reflect on the way the rescue operations are carried out and to discuss the ways in which we can make it a child friendly process.

Eminent members from the Development Sector like Ms. Vidya Apte (Co-founder FACSE), Ms. Alpa Vora (Child Specialist Consultant – UNICEF) and Ms. Tejal Rajyagor ( Proejct Co-ordintaor Don Bosco Balprafulta) shared their views on how the current process is not full proof and how there is need for a change in the attitude to bring in the child friendly perspective. The panel discussion was followed by Q&A session ably chaired by Fr. Barnabe D’Souza. Social Workers  from different NGOs shared their experiences  and asked interesting questions on how the rescue operations are conducted and what needs to be done to make it more child friendly.

The deliberations are to be sent in a memorandum to the appropriate Govt. departments as a follow up of the Annual Day celebrations.

Fr.Barnabe then proposed a vote of thanks to all who have contributed to make Don Bosco Balprafulta what it is today and concluded with a wish and prayer that every child gets his childhood.