Nilima and hundreds of other children from four orphanages in Sambalpur got a new lease of life when an initiative called 'Special Attention Programme on Health and Education' was conceived in the year 2005. "We wanted to give them a dream - a new life," says Sudhir Pujari of Utsarga, who now heads this initiative. This project was started with support of the New Delhi-based Smile Foundation, to improve the health and education standards in the four Sambalpur orphanages - Dhankauda Balashram, Dhankauda Kanyashram, Rukmini Devi Bal Niketan and Dr Issac Santra Bal Niketan. These interventions have, in fact, paved the way for larger benefits for the hitherto neglected Balashrams and Kanyashrams. It all began when a study conducted by Utsarga found the orphanages in pitiable conditions. In the Dhankauda Balashram, the 25 children were sharing 11 beds in single barrack-type room with an asbestos roof. The condition of the other three orphanages was no better. The children's health condition was also shocking. Most of the boys and girls were underweight, anaemic and deficient in vitamins with skin problems and teeth decay. "All of them appeared sickly and most were infected with hookworm," remembers Sudhir. The condition of their education was no different. They studied in nearby schools and there was absolutely no one to supervise their progress at the orphanages.

The orphanage caretakers are themselves not educated. They just get an honorarium of Rs 625 a month and have no interest or skill to impart education. Consequently, many students had failed several times, dropped out and frustrated with school and/or examinations. "In Dhankauda and Chachanpali, children were studying in schools where teachers were regularly absent and schools would remain closed for about six months a year," Sudhir says. During the first three months of project itself, things started changing for the better. "The first thing we did was to organise health camps and assign tuition teachers for the children," says Rudra Narayan Mishra, Utsarga coordinator. Two doctors conducted four health camps in each orphanage despite their busy schedule. "The children were suffering from many problems. Most of them looked pale with infections and were underweight. We prescribed strict health standards and the volunteers of this organisation followed them religiously," says Dr Mahendra Nanda.

In just three months, the children showed drastic improvements. The out-of-school children were encouraged by the tuition teachers to start studying again. "This encouraged us to go in for another one year of intervention and the Smile Foundation agreed to continue supporting us," Sudhir says. During this extended phase of the project, a strategic action plan was devised not only to improve the education and health status of the children but to develop their personalities. According to Mishra, when the NGO first approached them, they had all become rude and disobedient. So, the first job was to understand their problems. "Many Utsarga volunteers are teachers. They regularly visited these orphanages to spend time with the children and understand their issues and problems," says Sudhir. They found that they were bright students but had got frustrated and had virtually resigned to their fate. The challenge thus was to counsel them and get their interest back into education. The volunteers managed this within a few months with the result that drop outs were completely checked and education made compulsory in all the orphanages. One hundred and sixty-one children returned to the mainstream education enthusiastically. Bishhnupriya Kunar of the Dhankauda Kanyashram says, "After failing the matriculation examination, I abstained from education for almost five years. The volunteers encouraged me to study again and I have now appeared the board examination and I am quite hopeful of passing." Parvati Dhala and Nilima Sahu had failed Class 12 examination and had decided not to appear again. However, after the intervention, they appeared and scored more than 50 percent. "We could not imagine that this day would come," the happy duo.

There are many such examples and they have all taken place in just a year's time. Their health situation has also improved drastically. "Now they are aware of sanitation and are wearing chappals provided by the NGO. The toilets, which were virtually abandoned are back in use," says Dr Nanda. This has also reduced the expenditure on medicines. Food quality has also improved a lot, according to Tulshi Mahakur of Dhankauda Kanyashram. "We have tried to increase people's participation in the project and many friends and well wishers have decided to give feasts in these ashrams at regular intervals," says Narayan. Moreover, the effort now is to make these places attractive and interactive. Drawing, singing, debates, essay-writing, personality building workshops, laughter sessions - things which the children had never heard before - are happening now in these institutions. On the November 14 last year a grand function was organised at Sambalpur, where all the inmates got - for the first time in their lives - a platform to show their talents to the outside world. "We lived an almost secluded and cut off life. We are very happy to get this kind of respect," says Munia Oram, who is doing very well in her school. "Just when I had almost lost all hopes in life, I was told that I could choose to become something," says Nilima. "I never thought I would get out of the Kanyashram," she says. She had been in the Dhankauda Kanyashram for a long time and had discontinued studies three years ago after failing the Class 12 examinations. "I did not know what to do. There was no financial or any other means of support to reappear for the examinations," she adds. She got a moral boost from the Utsarga volunteers to start studying again. She appeared for the Class 12 examinations in 2006 and this time she passed. But this presented the organization with another challenge. Nilima now wanted to work and the search for a livelihood began. The Dayanand Institute of Nursery Teachers Training offered her a seat for a discounted fee. She completed the year-long diploma course successfully and has now been offered a job in the Little Angel Nursery School of Barpali.

"Four years ago, I wanted to end my life," she says, "now, I am confident that I can live my own life." Many of the children are over-aged but still live in the orphanage because they don't have any place to go. "We decided to introduce them to some avenues for earning a livelihood and started counseling them in various trades depending on their interest and existing skills," says Narayan. However, things have not been easy on this front. "Not getting any attention for years together had already made them dull and they were initially reluctant to come out of the cocoon of 'helplessness'," says Sudhir. Debatos Sahu had an interest in electrical works and was hence sent to an electrical contractor in Keonjhar, who had promised a salary of Rs 2,000 a month. But, he could not stay there, perhaps because he was too attached to this place. He was then engaged as a supervisor in a stone crusher unit but he didn't last there either. Finally, he was sent to driving school, which he completed successfully. The institute has even decided to give him an instructor's post. "And this time it's not due to sympathy, rather on the basis of his skills," says Sudhir. Parvati Dhal, after being trained as a house nurse, is all set to join a Sambalpur-based nursing home in two months' time. Nilima has received nursery teaching training and a residential public school has assured her a job as well.

Anupama Kalra of the Smile Foundation says, "We are always on the look out for organisations like Utsarga and are impressed with their achievements." The programme has in fact transformed children without hopes into confident persons and this endeavour needs to be encouraged further.