Star of Sunbeam

Four hundred and fifty underprivileged children’s lives have been transformed thanks to the intervention of Sunbeam, a movement initiated by some friends from CRY (Child Relief and You). Managing trustee Khurshid Dabdi and her band of over 30 volunteers and 22 full-time staff members are striving "to fulfil the physical, emotional and educational aspirations” of 150 children living in slums, 169 at construction sites and 131 on the pavements of Bombay.

Sunbeam has seven centers where they conduct Balwadis for children in the three-five age-group as also classes in non-formal education for those aged six and above to prepare them for regular school. For the convenience of the children they have their centers at construction sites on space temporarily donated by builders or in rooms taken on rent at municipal schools in the vicinity of the children. From motivating the children to attend the classes to preparing them for formal schooling has been a challenge for the teachers. But they find it particularly rewarding when some children who’ve moved away from their original sites willingly travel long distances to attend their coaching classes in English or computers.

Starting with six children in 1997, after two years they registered as a public charitable trust and functioned from a place sponsored by CRY. Beginning 2000 they started getting support from non-governmental organizations like the Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust which provides mid-day meals to street children, Magic Bus which sponsors their excursions, Comet Media which undertakes staff training, the Children’s Toys Foundation which comes with their mobile van of toys, children’s movies and indoor games at new centers. They have valued individual donors too who help with uniforms, books, stationery for the children.

Dabdi with some Sunbeam children in a classroom (right) and below with supervisor Shanta (far right)

Their volunteers are usually housewives and college students, mainly from St Xavier’s, who willingly put in more than the required hours of work, commends Dabdi whose own graduation studies were done at Hinduja College from where she completed her BCom. Her schooling was at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Parsee Charitable Institution, having studied on scholarship, she informs us. For a year she was a teacher at St Anne’s School before she joined CRY.

During her early years with Sunbeam, she continued to work part-time but since 2001 she has had to quit CRY due to the steady expansion of work at the new Sunbeam centers, she clarifies. The administrative work experience she gained during her 10 years with CRY is more than what she would have gained studying for a social work diploma, she is sanguine. When her father Paurusasp Dabdi, at his age, can show commitment as secretary of the Banaji Trust which offers educational and medical aid to Parsis, Khurshid believes she has a responsibility to society too. Her coordinator Aban Bharucha, formerly of CRY, has also joined hands with Dabdi.

As their work keeps expanding they have now started a Social Involvement Program whereby 25-30 overall excellent performers, with the full support of their families, will be enrolled in private schools so that they get to interact with a socially better class of society. They realize their efforts in community empowerment have succeeded when they see the poor construction workers slogging harder to ensure that their offspring do not become child laborers or when the parents of street children, previously surviving from their children’s earnings as beggars, take the initiative of being self employed by undertaking flower arrangements for weddings and other functions. The National Slumdwellers Federation with which they are coordinating has given them an assurance that families which have been residing on the streets prior to 1995 will be given permanent accommodation in a year or two. Those who would like to interact with Sunbeam can contact them on tel: 23867796 or e-mail: sunbeamtrust@ hotmail.com