Mumbai: With more than 300 children in an orphaned country due to Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Women and Child Development (WCD) on Tuesday announced funds and mental health support for their welfare.
Regarding the non-profit group, the department will take care of their academic costs for the next three years.
Regardless, access to mental health counselors will be provided, especially for adolescents.
The loss of both parents forced some orphans to move to their hometown to live with a large family or change to school because of their guardian inability to pay fees.
WCD will transfer costs directly to school or college where the child is registered.
“We want to ensure that education is not disturbed and there is continuity,” said Minister WCD Yashomati Thakur, adding to the next phase, the department will expand academic funds to children who lose pandemics.
There are more than 9,800 children like that at Maharashtra at this time.
The task force has gone from the door to the door to identify orphans because of the pandemic to give them help and residence and ensure that there is no human trade.
The WCD officer will prepare a report about each case that will include the status and requirements of children’s education.
“Relatives keeping orphans can be stretched now and education may not be direct priority.
We see supporting other needs, in addition to academic costs, such as tablets or telephones to access online education or bicycles for transportation in rural areas,” Shishir Joshi said from the project Mumbai NGOs that jointly work with WCD.
The monitoring team will be set to check regularly whether children have attended school or college and if he faces difficulties.
A 11-year-old child was taken by his grandparents after his parents died of Covid, worried about his future.
The WCD counselor will visit such a family and interact with children to find signs that require intervention.
The counselors were trained by the Indian psychiatric society.
“We also collect details about the Covid widow whose husband is owed.
Our team is located two widows in Thane.
We will try to help them,” said Mahendra Gaikwad, District WCD Officer, Thane.
Project Mumbai’s Mental Health Helpline, starting for civil schools, will expand to Covid’s struck family.
“We intend to tie experts for child sexual abuse counseling too,” Joshi said.