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NEWS
Delhi
From the Margins to New Beginnings: DB ARK's Holistic Mission Transforms Lives in Delhi's Urban Slums
News reported by: George Joseph
In the narrow lanes of Ashram Basti, Mandir Basti, and neighbouring settlements in Palam, DB ARK is quietly transforming lives. Through the Arklets Bloomers Garden (ABG) programme, Don Bosco Ashalayam Rehabilitation Kendra (DB ARK) is enabling vulnerable children to move beyond the limitations of their circumstances and discover opportunities for education, personal growth, and hope.
Rapid urbanisation has fuelled India's economic progress, but it has also intensified inequalities in many metropolitan centres. Thousands of migrant families living in informal settlements continue to grapple with insecure livelihoods, overcrowded housing, poor sanitation, and limited access to quality education and healthcare. Children frequently bear the greatest burden, facing school dropouts, child labour, neglect, and exposure to unsafe social environments.
Responding to these realities, DB ARK established Arklets Bloomers Garden, a holistic education and child development initiative for children ages 6 to 18. ABG’s central aim is to nurture every aspect of a child's development, so each child feels valued, protected, and equipped for a meaningful future.
"Education is more than classroom learning; it is about developing the whole person and helping children realise their potential," say the programme coordinators.
The initiative revolves around seven key objectives: promoting education, building life skills, fostering character formation, strengthening emotional well-being, encouraging family integration, supporting parents in their children's learning, and preventing juvenile delinquency. Together, these objectives link learning with stability, care, and protection.
Its Bridge Course helps out-of-school children enter mainstream education, while after-school learning centres provide academic assistance in literacy, numeracy, and English communication. Alongside formal education, children participate in six complementary components of non-formal learning, including life skills training, computer literacy, creative arts, music, dance, painting, drama, and craft activities that build confidence, teamwork, and self-expression.
One of the programme's distinguishing features is Friendly Chat, where trained mentors, affectionately known as "Bhaiyya" and "Didi," create a safe and trusting environment in which children can share their fears, challenges, and aspirations while receiving guidance and emotional support that help them feel heard and supported.
Unlike many child-centred interventions, ABG places equal emphasis on strengthening families. Through regular parenting sessions and the HELPS livelihood initiative, mothers and fathers receive training and support to develop sustainable sources of income, helping them provide stable, nurturing homes for their children.
Children are identified through community surveys and home visits, with priority given to those from single-parent households, families affected by domestic violence, and those experiencing acute financial hardship. Following a structured three-stage model—Intake, Impart, and Integrate—the programme currently serves 140 boys and girls, moving them from identification to support and inclusion.
By combininBy combining education, emotional care, family empowerment, and livelihood support, Arklets Bloomers Garden shows that DB ARK’s mission for lasting social transformation begins not only in the classroom but also within the family and the community itself.
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Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Year of publication: 2026
Available from: 4 March 2026
Pages: 928 pp., Paperback
