Konika night shelter (Konika)

In the red line district Sonagachi in Kolkata countless children whose mothers work as prostitutes are growing up under difficult circumstances. The Konika Kindergarten, built in 2002, offers a safe place and solicitous care to these children three afternoons per week while their mothers are at work.

But as their mothers are mostly working in the evenings until late at night, the childcare of the Kindergarten needed to be extended. As a result the Night Shelter was opened in 2009. Its opening hours are from 4 pm on six days per week except Sundays. Children at the age of four to six are welcome to sleep there.

Night Shelter set up the following goals:

• Accommodation and food are guaranteed
• Health awareness is promoted and health hazards are being reduced
• Improvement of future perspectives through cooperation with local schools and support during the children's education

Out of the opening hours the responsibility for the children is in their mothers' hands. To improve the children's circumstances we consider it as essential that the mothers become integrated into the activities of the Kindergarten and the Night Shelter.