CASE STUDIES
Street Children Rehabilitation Programme
Navsarjan Xavier's Cell for Human Development (NXCHD)
Surat, Gujarat, India
Manoj Munnabhai Marathi
Date of Rescue: February 2, 2012
Age at Rescue: 6 years
Location of Rescue: Surat Railway Station, Gujarat
Referred to: Vatsallya Dham, Gajera Foundation, Surat
BACKGROUND
On 2 February 2012, a social animator from NXCHD — Childline Help Desk — identified a six-year-old boy wandering unaccompanied on the platform of Surat Railway Station. Through patient and sustained engagement, the social animator established rapport with the child and earned his confidence. The boy disclosed his name: Manoj Munnabhai Marathi.
HISTORY OF ABUSE AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF DISPLACEMENT
Manoj had been residing with his parents and younger sister. Both children were subjected to daily physical abuse by their father, who beat them with a belt and, on occasion, with a stick, without cause or provocation. The persistent violence eroded Manoj's sense of safety and trust entirely.
Following intervention by his maternal grandfather — a cobbler based near the Vapi bus stop — Manoj was taken to his grandparents' home. However, this arrangement offered no relief. His grandmother resented his presence, treated him as a domestic burden, assigned him excessive household labour, and withheld adequate food.
The critical incident that precipitated Manoj's flight occurred when, driven by hunger, he attended a neighbour's wedding uninvited to eat a proper meal. Upon discovery, his uncle subjected him to severe punishment: he was tied upside down with rope and beaten with a belt. Concluding that life on the streets was preferable to continued abuse, Manoj fled to Surat Railway Station.
SITUATION AT THE TIME OF RESCUE
For several days following his arrival, Manoj survived by begging for food and money at the railway station. He subsequently found informal employment selling water bottles to train passengers — a child forced to support himself without adult care or protection.
INTERVENTION AND REHABILITATION
Upon contact with the NXCHD social animator, Manoj was admitted to the organisation's street children's drop-in centre, where he received shelter, nutrition, counselling, and psychosocial support. Through sustained efforts by the staff, Manoj expressed willingness to pursue formal education.
NXCHD facilitated his admission to Vatsallya Dham, Gajera Foundation, Surat — a residential school committed to the holistic development of vulnerable children. The management reviewed his case and agreed to enrol him.
ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL OUTCOMES
Board Examination (Std. 10), 2021–22: Secured 80%
Higher Education: Diploma in Computer Engineering
Current Employment: Nirmal Vasunadhar Company
Monthly Remuneration: ₹15,000
Manoj's journey from a malnourished, abused six-year-old on a railway platform to a salaried professional in the technology sector reflects the profound impact of timely intervention, consistent institutional support, and the child's own determination. NXCHD wishes Manoj continued growth and trusts that he will, in time, serve as a role model for other children who have walked a similar path.
CASE STUDY 02
Jodiya Pappu Punjabhai
Age at Contact: 10 years
State of Origin: Madhya Pradesh
Location of Contact: Construction Site, Surat, Gujarat
Referred to: Vatsaliyadham, Kamrej, Surat
BACKGROUND
Pappu, a 10-year-old boy from Madhya Pradesh, was identified by an NXCHD social worker while engaged in child labour at a construction site in Surat. The social worker conducted counselling sessions with Pappu and his family to underscore the value of education and to address the practical barriers preventing his enrolment in school.
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY CONTEXT
Pappu's parents were supportive of his aspirations despite their limited financial means. However, they faced considerable opposition from within their community. Pappu was the sole child in his village who sought to attend school, and this distinction made him — and his family — a target of collective resistance.
On one occasion, when Pappu visited his home village, members of the community physically restrained him by tying him with a rope to prevent his return to Surat. His father intervened directly; together, father and son evaded the obstruction and returned — a remarkable act of parental resolve in the face of significant social pressure.
EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION
NXCHD facilitated Pappu's admission to the 5th standard at Vatsaliyadham, a residential school and hostel near Kamrej, Surat. The organisation subsequently supported him in pursuing a vocational qualification in automobile engineering — a field aligned with his professional aspirations.
Vocational Qualification: ITI in Automobile Engineering
Current Employment: Kia Motors
Pappu's case is a testament to the transformative power of education when supported by committed parents and dedicated social workers. It also highlights the structural barriers — social stigma, community pressure, and financial constraints — that continue to deprive children in migrant and labouring communities of their right to education. NXCHD remains committed to dismantling such barriers, one child at a time.
CASE STUDY 03
Dinesh Bahadur Nepali
Date of Rescue: June 15, 2016
Age at Rescue: 11 years
Location of Rescue: Platform No. 4, Surat Railway Station, Gujarat
Also Rescued: Younger brother, aged 3 years
Referred to: Vatsallya Dham, Gajera Foundation, Surat
BACKGROUND
On 15 June 2016, an NXCHD social worker identified 11-year-old Dinesh Bahadur Nepali and his 3-year-old brother unaccompanied on Platform No. 4 at Surat Railway Station. Dinesh was visibly distressed. Through sustained and empathetic engagement, the social worker established a relationship of trust with the child.
Prior to the incident, Dinesh had been residing with his parents, brother, and sister in a makeshift dwelling near Smimer Medical College, Surat. His father was chronically alcohol-dependent and subjected both his wife and children to frequent physical abuse.
CIRCUMSTANCES OF SEPARATION
Following a particularly severe episode of domestic violence, Dinesh's mother left the family home. His father, in an intoxicated state, subsequently placed Dinesh and his siblings on a train without any planned destination. The younger children were unable to comprehend the situation. Dinesh, attempting to locate his father as the train departed, found himself separated from both his siblings and parents without any means of contact or recourse.
During a nighttime patrol of the station, the NXCHD social worker encountered Dinesh, who was inconsolable. The child waited for four to five days at the station in the hope that his parents would come to retrieve him. They did not. He subsequently moved into the NXCHD drop-in centre.
EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION
The social worker introduced Dinesh to the non-formal education classes conducted by NXCHD near the railway station's ticket window. Recognised as an academically capable child, Dinesh was enrolled in the 4th standard at a local school in July 2016.
In July 2017, NXCHD facilitated his transfer to Vatsallya Dham, Gajera Foundation, where he continued his schooling within a structured residential environment that provided both academic support and psychosocial stability.
ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL OUTCOMES
Board Examination (Std. 10), 2022–23: Scored 56%
Vocational Qualification: ITI in Fitter
Current Status: Apprentice, Larsen & Toubro (L&T)
Dinesh was abandoned — not by choice, but by circumstance — on a railway platform at the age of eleven. That he has since completed formal schooling, obtained an ITI qualification, and secured an apprenticeship with one of India's foremost engineering corporations is a reflection of his personal resilience and the sustained support of NXCHD. The organisation wishes Dinesh every success as he works toward his aspiration of establishing his own enterprise.