Edith Wilkins Street Children Trust

In Darjeeling we are volunteering with a charity called Edith Wilkins Street Children Trust (www.edithwilkins.org). EWSCT provides support and care for street children and children living in extremely difficult circumstances. The Darjeeling District shares three international borders and a significant population of migrant workers come to the region during the tourist season and the tea season. Some of the young people that EWSCT works with have travelled to the area for work in the tourist industry, as domestic workers or in the sex trade. While some arrive alone or with their families, others are trafficked into the area; it has been estimated that up to 20,000 women and girls are trafficked into India from Nepal every month for involvement in the sex industry. The region also has a high incidence of alcoholism, drug abuse and marital breakdown which has a serious impact on children. Many of the young people involved with EWSCT are the children of a first marriage who have been neglected or left to fend for themselves when one or both parents have re-married. Amongst the children who access the services of EWSCT, many have been victims of abuse. EWSCT runs a number of projects in Darjeeling and Siliguri, including residential homes and shelters, drop-in centres, education and vocational training, health services, medical and nutritional support and counselling. During our month in Darjeeling, Performers Without Borders are working with the young people at the drop-in centre and residential centres. Some of these children live on site whilst others can come at any time to access the drop-in centre. The centre provides them with a safe place to be and to learn, and when they initially come here, many children simply sleep, in the knowledge that they are safe here. A non-formal education is offered, including subjects such as maths and languages. This allows children who may be unfamiliar with a school routine and structure to learn at their own pace. The aim is that many will eventually be able to return to mainstream education, or alternatively to pre-vocational training in areas such as electronics, tailoring and beauty therapy. There are many other activities at the drop-in centre including sports, life skills, arts and crafts, music, dance and performance. This is where Performers Without Borders comes in. Five days a week we spend a few hours teaching circus workshops with a group of around 40-60 children. It is often difficult to conceive of the terrible circumstances we are told that many of the children have experienced, as we are invariably greeted with smiles, laugher and curiosity to learn. It is all too easy to recite the rhetoric of how teaching performing arts can help vulnerable children to develop life skills – especially when trying to persuade sponsors of how worthy we know this project is! But being here I can see for myself how the excitement of learning circus, theatre and dance engages the kids and keeps them focused for several hours at a time. Often during our sessions, the young people stay the whole time and are still eager to carry on even after two or three hours of concentrating hard on learning something new. Before being involved with EWSCT, many of the children have never had the chance to play, and for many this is an important opportunity to have fun and to develop the social skills of working with others. Sometimes we can see that there are difficult dynamics between one or two of the kids, and we are told that having lived in such appalling conditions, many of them find it difficult at times to interact appropriately with others. For this reason, it seems all the more important that they have the opportunity to play, to enjoy themselves, and to experience positive interactions with other people. After one or two sessions, many have already discovered their favourite props, and happily tell us their specialties when we come in each day, asking “When are we dancing?”, or announcing gladly “Hello, I am plate!”. The kids are not the only ones having fun here – looking around, the smiles on the team’s faces are just as wide as those of the kids. As we come towards the end of the 2011 tour, I am as enthusiastic as ever about what we are doing, and can see for myself how much difference a little fun and playfulness can make. – Eluned