Children reaching the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare’s Ammathottil or its child care centres will no longer have to be shifted to child-care institutions run by the government or voluntary organisations once they turn six. They can continue to stay on the council premises till they turn 18.
On Friday, 11 girls in the 6-12 age group will be shifted to a five-storey building constructed by the non-profit Adeeb and Shafeena Foundation for free on the council’s premises at Thycaud here.
The building has space to accommodate 102 girls in the 6-18 age group. In the first phase, the council has licence to accommodate 63 girls. Eleven girls in the 6-12 age group will be shifted there first, and those in the 12-18 age group will follow.
Named Veedu, the building had been inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in January. Now, it will welcome its first residents at 12 noon on Friday following approval from the child welfare committee (CWC).
Facilities
The building has facilities for the children’s food and accommodation, education, and life skill development. The first floor has office facilities and classrooms, second has classrooms and library, and the third kitchen and dining facilities. The top two floors have three large dormitories each with bunk beds. Five toilets and five bathrooms have been provided on each of the two floors.
Council general secretary G.L. Arun Gopi told mediapersons on Thursday that the building had a conference hall and a cultural centre for nurturing the children’s creative talents.
Skill development of the girls was an area that the council was very conscious about. A long-term project for this would be implemented so that the girls’ security and livelihood could be ensured after they turned 18.
Girls from other centres of the council in the State would also be shifted here in stages with permission of the CWCs. Steps for this would be initiated soon.
New staff
While the existing staff would be rearranged to take care of the children, steps would be taken to employ qualified and experienced staff as per the Juvenile Justice Act provisions.
The council will have to bear an additional financial burden of ₹1 crore for accommodating 63 girls at Veedu, Mr. Gopi said.
