INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND Of AKS & HOPE PROJECT :

The Agnes Kunze Society was established on 16 January - 2002 by the childhood pen-friends Manju Lawrence & Caroline in Dehra Dun. The project was name after a sister Agnes Kunze, mostly known as MATAJI in Dehradun. She volunteered her whole life to improve the lives of the poorest people living in the India. Manju and Caroline often used to go and visit her and were very much inspired, what she used to do. They both started to work for slum dwellers and street children at Madrasi Colony with 5 childrens. The Madrasi Colony had originally been established by people moving from Chennai (formerly Madras) in the late 1940’s during the period of India’s Independence. It has since been settled by progressive waves of migrants moving from other parts of India or from rural areas to seek work in the city. It has followed a typical pattern of development with new arrivals settling on the edge of the colony and building shelters from any materials that they can obtain. In time these temporary shelters are replaced by huts of more solid mud construction and in the centre of the colony, where the longest-standing residents live, there are unproperly constructed houses built up to 3 or 4 stories. Throughout the area, though, the amenities are very poor with no piped water and no proper drain or sewage system and waste runs along channels in the lanes. Some of the lanes have been concreted and some attempt has been made to encase the sewers but conditions remain poor. Very few latrines exist.

Many of the people who live in the colony scrape a living as rag pickers, bringing refuse to the area and picking through it for any materials which may have any value at all. Whether involved in this activity or in others the working adults are engaged outside the area of the colony and children are left unattended or small children left in the charge of older ones. There is no education provision within the area of the colony.

Agnes Kunze Society ‘Hope Project’ started its work with street or “slum” children seven years ago by providing education and vocational training. A school has been opened to which 200 children come for the morning session and 350 for the afternoon providing primary education. Young people and adults attend the vocational training centre to learn to sew and design clothes. Since its inception the Hope Project has also branched into the broad field of health undertaking work to improve the environment in the colony by building proper drains and latrines and providing some basic building materials to enable more robust shelters to be constructed. The Hope Project also undertakes health promotion.

The Society is providing Education, Midday meal, Medical plus Health and Hygiene Awareness, Adult Literacy, Vocational Training (Stitching, Embroidery, paper bag making, detergent and Chalk making, Beautician Courses, Motor Driving courses and many others) etc., Community Health, Development and HIV/AIDS Awareness Program(Self and also with government – Uttarakhand State AIDS Control Society), TB Program (Self and also with the help of TB/DOTS program of Uttarakhand Government), Counseling Centre for Drug Addicts & Alcoholics , C-Grade Nursing Training Program,Relief Program (Responding to any Disaster),Self help Group (Income Generation Program),NOS Coaching Centre (a Centre for School – dropouts),Higher Education Sponsorship Program(Education After 5th Standard),Goat Project(Income Generation,Non-Communicable Chronic Disease Awareness Program (in Partnership with CCF – INDIA),Samvedna Project (A Project for Differently Abled in partnership with KHW),Mini Bank (Children Saving Bank),Call Centre Calling ( A Project for Fund Raising in Partnership with HGS),ICTC Project (PPP Mode with USACS),Teen & Adolescent Health,Tobacco Awareness & Cessation Program and also Public Legal Rights Awareness etc. to the Community. The society is also providing 24 hrs (Emergency Services) Ambulance plus Medical Services to the Community. The Society is also targeting all the Rural/Urban slums areas for doing awareness in TB & HIV/AIDS Program among various community, among daily wages labourers, Truck Drivers, Taxi Driver, Auto Driver, Bus Driver, Vegetable Vendor etc. by personal counseling, free Condom distribution, pamplets, calendar, puppet show, drama/ Nukar natak, Folk Songs, Music etc.