Yogita and Santosh Moon seek out homeless children on railway platforms to share food,shelter and love with them Yogita and Santosh Moon,a couple who grew up in different orphanages in Pune,know the fears of being without a family and home. They also know how life can change if someone steps forward to help. So they see their brainchild Shikshangrama shelter for 105 homeless children near Lonavalaas a fitting act of gratitude. Armed with a tiffin box full of home-made food and a first aid kit,the couples routine is to visit railway stations between Pune and Mumbai after 10pm and look for children who sleep on the platforms. It is only after frequent visits,that the children begin to trust them. Generally when we go near children on the platforms they run from us thinking that we will take them to a remand home. But we first offer them food and medical help if needed and hear them out. Gradually we share that if they stay with us we will send them to school,feed them well and look after them like our own children, says Yogita. They then leave their visiting cards with the children and wait for them to make their own choice and come to the shelter by themselves. It is only when they come by their own wish that they will stay. Even when a child wants to leave we only counsel them about the benefits of staying back. But we dont jail them, she says,adding that most of these children indulge in substance abuse and come from very disturbed backgrounds. Santosh says they decided to open a shelter for children soon after they got married. We rented a house for ourselves at Malavali and also took in five children. There are no luxuries at the house but we love them and provide all the basic requirements,just like we do for our own kids. They in turn call us aai and baba, he says. But merely providing three square meals and a safe place to sleep is not good enough for Santosh and Yogita. Working together with a handful of volunteers,they have taken it upon themselves to care for the children as long as they dont get employed or married. We were also given education,trained to run a hostel and then married by the orphanages we came from, shares Yogita. The challenges are many along the way and sometimes decisions are hard to make. Like the time when they were told about an 18-month-old baby found at Lonavala railway station. I was very skeptical since we only took kids who were five years old or above. But once we looked at her at the railway station,we knew we couldn't leave her there. We brought her home and she became one of the Moon family members, says Yogita. It is a decision they have not regretted. She is now five years old and growing up to be a beautiful girl, adds Yogita.
