Our focus is education. Working with children in Goa since 1995, we found that most are not able to cope with regular schools. Unable to keep up, they drop out of the system and have no desire to return. We started the Shanti Niketan School in Assagao for the children in our care.

Children here learn at different levels but within one learning centre. Our system of education is child centred, and the teaching approach is activity based. There are three phases of learning: Group study, Individualised system and Classroom system.

The main aim behind starting the school was to provide street children with an all-around education in a non-competitive environment. We strive to provide a happy and secure environment, in which children can develop and achieve their full potential – intellectually, emotionally, socially, physically, and spiritually for a brighter future. We want to prepare children as individuals and members of society to provide them with experiences that will promote a love of learning and enhance spiritual awareness. We put great emphasis on our children becoming the best they can in all areas of life.

The school encourages street children and slow learning children to gain new hope through non-formal methods of learning. We enable the students to appear for public examinations and then join a College and University.

We want to formulate and further develop a school curriculum for Street Children that can be replicated throughout India.

We also reach out to children across Goa and neighbouring states with neighbourhood learning initiatives. We conduct coaching and remedial learning classes in our Shelters and Community Centres. Our focus in the slums and communities we work with is to ensure pre-primary schooling for the children. With parents working as day labour, these children are at potential risk, left alone. By providing them with a safe place to learn, we keep them off the streets and away from possible abuse such as drugs, sex trafficking, begging and child labour.