The Ahon Bata Program: A Government Response to the Street Children’s Needs

Abstract

A conclusion was reached that the Ahon Bata Program have done well in responding to the need of the street children although their tutorial services are not enough to equal the formal education the public and private schools provide once they have been brought to the Center or other centers. However, the program was weak in the implementation of the program and providing better facilities for the children. The researcher was not satisfied with the situation of the children in the Center. Although the children are provided with parental care and sufficient food provision, it was revealed that the children were looking for a better place to live in. Another weakness of the program was the quality of knowledge received by the children about the Program. Looking at the results in the survey, most of these children had known of the Program through their parents and friends. When the researcher asked about their knowledge, it had a negative impression on them because most of their informants said that the Center seem like a prison where street children like them are brought forcefully to be kept out of the streets. While majority of the respondents does not know their families, parents’ cooperation was not achieved. monitoring for the Program’s continuity is also on its verge. Another limitation found by the researcher was the inability of the Center setting structured indicators for the assessment of the Program’s success. The informants said that their main problem was the local government officials who are responsible for the assessment of the family of the children brought to the Center. They seem to be nonchalant on doing their jobs. The Center blames the delay of their service for the street children because the local government officials submit the assessment of the street children and their families very late or not at all. Also, after the children are discharged or returned to their families, there is no monitoring program to ensure that the children do not go back to the streets. The result, the problem of keeping the children out of the streets is just a never- ending cycle. Although there have been limits and problems in the implementation of the Ahon Bata Program, the researcher still say that the government through its bureaucratic agencies has been effective and efficient in delivering the social services for the street children. Although the question on its continuity still exists, human development was brought to the street children since they are provided with their basic needs, especially those needs that are psychological, as provided by their house parents. Assessing the answers of the children to the entire set of questions, it can be noted that although the majority has been satisfied with the services they had received, some are still not pleased. True it may be that we can not always please everybody but the point that even a little percentage has not been satisfied indicates that there still needs to be improved in the services given.