Successful implementation of project SHISHU by DLSA in Jamshedpur

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, October 01: As our nation battled a raging second wave of the COVID -19 curse the cases of children losing their parents to the viral attack continued to mount. While some had lost both parents and there was no one to look after them, others were in a situation where a single surviving parent was unable to take care of them financially, psychologically and in a holistic manner.

These children needed special care and out of box solutions for their rehabilitation.

All such children needed a conducive atmosphere for development through play and education. 

To address delicate situation, project ‘Shishu’ was launched by Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, Judge, Jharkhand High Court cum Executive Chairman of JHALSA on May 31, 2021.

Project Shishu has been designed to help those children who have been orphaned by the pandemic COVID-19 by uniting them with their surviving and willing relatives or by rehabilitating them in accordance with the existing laws and continue to support them with food, clothes and shelter till such objectives are met.

The Project is intended to take care of children who lost both their both parents due to COVID-19 or those who have lost their lone surviving parent due to COVID-19 or children who have lost their legal guardian or adoptive parent due to COVID-19; children who have lost such parent who was the sole breadwinner for the family.

DLSA East Singhbhum has been playing an important role in implementing project Shishu. The paralegal volunteers of DLSA, East Singhbhum formed a part of the Special Task Force constituted in each block of East Singhbhum. The main function of this Special Task Force was to identify such children who had lost their parents due to coronavirus infection.

During the whole process, 72 children who had lost either one or both parents due COVID-19 were identified and provided benefits under Project Shishu. During implementation of this project, it was found that many children who had lost parents due to other reasons other than COVID-19 were also in need of help and rehabilitation. DLSA East Singhbhum provided help to 25 such children by providing benefits under government schemes.

On  June 18, Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, Judge, Jharkhand High Court cum Executive Chairman, JHALSA visited Jamshedpur and personally distributed benefits under Project Shishu to three families. The benefits included school fee exemption/waiver, linkage of children with Jharkhand Sponsorship Scheme, benefit of National Family Benefit Schemes, provision of Ayushman Bharat Card to the children, Antyoday Yojna grant letter provided to the children, dry ration provided to each family, sports’ kits provided to the children, school kits provided and some children were admitted in residential schools.

Four Para Legal Volunteers (PLVs) were presented certificates of appreciation by JHALSA Ranchi for outstanding work in implementing Project Shishu.

Project SHISHU was initiated and effectively undertaken during the height of the second wave of COVID-19. DLSA Secretary acknowledged that without the help and cooperation of specially the Deputy Commissioner, DDC, District Social Welfare Officer and the District Child Protection Officer the project would not have successfully seen the light of day.

The Project Shishu has come as a big boon for the children who have lost their parents.