In May 2002 something happened at a residential workshop in Dehradun, India that has changed the lives of thousands of Street and Working children in North India. A leadership building workshop was organized by Delhi based NGO Childhood Enhancement through Training and Action (CHETNA). It was attended by 35 street and working children from different parts of Delhi who decided that they had to join together to empower other street children around their well being. The attempt converted into formation of federation of Street and Working Children called Badthe Kadam (Stepping forward).
During the meeting, children realized that people in general know very less about issues of street and working children. The issues who attract media attention were those when a child on street commits crime or did something which is not considered as ‘social’, whereas it never get attention when a street child saves someone life or do good work. With this an idea clicked if they can have their own space, their own newsletter. With this thought world’s first newsletter ‘Balaknama” (voice of children) came into existence.
