Since working here at the Edith Wilkins Street Children Foundation it is evidently clear the sheer amount of dedication, passion, and hard work all the staff members put in. All of them put in overtime most weeks to ensure the children are being looked after to the best of their abilities. I’ve learnt that there is always work to be done and always a child in need here. After being given about a week and to settle in and become more familiar with the foundation, its staff and the children, we had the opportunity to meet a top donor to the foundation, Denis McClean. As not only a longterm donor to the foundation, but also as the Chief in Communication and Outreach for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Dennis has spent a huge amount of years working in development. We got a great insight into how the staff looked after one of their top donors and it was great to see the in-depth insight to the foundation that he was given. This reiterated the importance of transparency for an NGO, especially with donors.
Work-wise, I have researched various Irish donors and have completed several funding proposals for various aspects of the foundation which need immediate attention. I have also applied for a recreational programme from the Indian District Magistrate. We learned that with the magnitude of children who are directly dependent on the foundation for food, clothing, shelter, medical aid and education, they have no money remaining for the maintenance of the premises and its infrastructure. My classmate Sally and I consulted local contractors in relation to these proposals, putting our communication skills and the language barrier to the test. Having received our estimates from the local contractor, I was able to use my IT skills to draw up a budget and timeframe on Excel to be included with the proposal.
I’ve gotten the opportunity to coordinate the Edith Wilkins Instagram page with Edith and Sally. I have fixed the page’s design, promoted it, and posted updates from the foundation.
Sally and I got the opportunity to accompany our co-worker Anup to Kolkata where he had to complete a compulsory training course for the foundation. Through this, we gained a better insight into the poverty in India. While Darjeeling does have poverty, it is not as obvious sometimes. Seeing the poverty and street children and the living conditions of some people in a big city like Kolkata was an eye-opening experience. Children from Kolkata have ended up in the foundation before, for various reasons such as being sent to the hills for child labour. We had the opportunity to visit the Mother Theresa orphanage, which is similar organisation to the EWSCTF; however, it cares for disabled children. They also run a medical clinic for the poor; we had the opportunity to see how it was run. I found the experience both insightful and interesting.
During my time here so far, I have really gotten to know the rest of the staff. I’ve gotten a real insight into the various duties which each employee has, such as that of the case worker and the counsellor, and have been able to join other staff in the field doing house survey visits.
The work done here at the foundation is incredible and has been extremely insightful. It is completely different seeing and experiencing some of the things we have been learning about the past three years. Actively being involved in this kind of work in a developing country reminds me why I chose this course. I can see how it really drives and motivates the passion of everyone involved to work hard and provide for these vulnerable kids who have nothing and nobody else to rely on.
International Development Placement 2019 