KOCHI: Broken tiles, poor infrastructure and bad hygiene — this was the state of the Government Children’s Home at Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram until recently. The home was set up exclusively for boys under the care of the Women and Child Development department (WCD).Currently, there are nearly 16 such homes under the WCD department functioning across the state. There are eight observation homes, two special homes and one safe place for children who have had run-ins with the law.
WCD director T V Anupama said these institutions will undergo phase-by-phase renovation to make them more child-friendly. “It was observed that more focus is always given to infrastructure development rather than creating child-friendly spaces. This project aims to create a mix of both,” she said. Soon, renovation work of children’s homes in Malappuram and Pathanamthitta will begin, said Anupama.
The home in Poojappura has been recently renovated at Rs 84 lakh to provide better facilities for its inmates. “Though the facility has a maximum capacity of 80, there are currently 40 children living there. Before the Covid outbreak, there were 64 children at the home, but most of them had to go home after online classes began. Since the building was built many years ago, most of the tiles needed to be replaced. Even the study area was not adequate to accommodate the children. The renovation of Poojappura home is the first of many to be taken up by the department,” says Sheeja A V, superintendent in charge of the Children’s Home at Poojappura.
In addition to a well-maintained garden, the home now has a playground where kids can play cricket and badminton. Study rooms have been beautified with wall paintings, and bedrooms have been done up too. “Upgrading children’s homes will help give the kids a friendly atmosphere instead of keeping them confined to four walls. Creating a better environment at the homes will help ensure their physical and mental well-being, thereby making them better individuals,” she added.
Online classes also affected the learning of children at these homes due to the lack of gadgets.
However, with generous contributions from Technopark employees and other organisations, the children are now attending online classes without any hassle. “Apart from the infrastructure, activities such as yoga, chess, dance, music and drawing are being taught to the children at the home,” said Sheeja.