Sishugram’s crucial role

As the only CCI for girls in the district, Sishugram has been serving a real and crucial need of the area. In the last years, Sishugram has served as both temporary and permanent shelter for girls in distress being brought to us by Childline, by the Police or by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). Sishugram has provided shelter for at least 120 girls in the last 5 years. By a conservative estimate, over the last fifty years more than 200 boys and girls have stayed long-term in Sishugram, gone to school and have left Sishugram after they attained 18 years of age. Most of our past wards have gone on to do well in life.

Challenges and Problems

Ever since the present Trust Board took over, it has tried to regularize all matters relating to land, tax etc. But each step takes time. We have recently obtained 80G exemption and the CSR exemption and registration with the Niti Aayog.

Lack of Resources

As mentioned earlier, our sole source of income is the interest from our rather modest corpus fund which is not enough to cover even the salaries and the running expenses of the Home. We have land but we have absolutely no funds to undertake any repair or construction work on it.

Deplorable condition of existing infrastructure

The existing buildings are about 45 years old now and are on the verge of collapse. We never had enough resources to build a proper boundary wall around our land, and this poses a huge threat to security and safety of our girls. So, first and foremost, we need to construct the boundary walls and a new building to house the girls currently under our care.

Urgent need for expansion

There is a standing demand from the CWC to set up a SAA (State Adoption Agency) Centre for children at the age 0-6 years as well as an After Care Home at Sishugram (for girls after they complete 18 years), as there is not a single SAA Centre or After Care Home in the Kamrup district. Apart from the buildings mentioned above for our girls, and funds permitting, we also wish to set up an assisted living facility for senior citizens at Sishugram, close to our Home, so that both our girls can be of assistance to the senior citizens who in turn can help in coaching and training them for life.

Need of a Training Centre

There is also the need to set up a centre where we can impart vocational and professional training to our girls to be able to find gainful employment and become independent and self-reliant by the time they leave Sishugram. Hence there is an urgent need for expansion of the existing infrastructure.