Studied on charity and scholarships, now teaching 3000+ Kids in 8 Slums

Lessons from Poverty- An Inspiring Story

Miss Seetha Devi, Founder of Street Vision Social Charitable Trust in Chennai

Indian streets allow us to examine every socioeconomic factor that defines living standards in an economy under rapid transition.

Competition is more rigid and the population grows creative in taking the best slice of the anecdotal fixed pie. You naturally begin to sense how universal inequality is,” says Miss Seetha Devi, Founder of Street Vision Social Charitable Trust in Chennai.

Having been a street child herself Devi is not only aware of the vagaries of street life but has grown wise to appreciate the little opportunities it provides to grow beyond the streets.

Her father was a porter in Central Railway Station and mother managed the household with her six undernourished kids. “We still remember those days, when we use to had only one meal in a day that was Dinner. It was dependent on, if my father earns enough to buy grocery for that day. We never knew what breakfast was. Education was a luxury and future was dark,” recalls Devi, whose struggle gave her the determination to protect the next generation from living such uncertain lives.

With the help of charity and scholarships, Devi completed her graduation and alongside studies, she organized simple games and events to mobilize neighborhood kids. She left no stone upturned in reviving their interest in education.

Behind the Kannagi Statue in Marina Beach, she brought together small batches, taught them basics and ensured their admission in government schools. “Over 2000 children benefited from this effort. All they needed was little motivation and after school study support to be able to continue their studies without dropping out.

Streets encourage dropping out as the very nature of street life allows kids to feel independent at the cost of all their fundamental rights. Education was my priority,” she adds.

Her work experience and association with other like minded organizations gave her the strength to establish her own trust in 2002.

Street Vision Social Charitable Trust organized consistent bridge courses and evening tuition to support education of children from slums and streets.

Free tuition are organized for more than 3000 kids in eight slums. “From the 42,610 streets across Chennai, we began to identify different groups with different needs.

We decided to look beyond education because social stratification in slums and streets is very much a reality. Gypsies, children infected and affected by HIV, children suffering from Cancer, begging children – all of them needed a helping hand. After all, they too deserved a better life.

Occasional supply of food packets wasn’t enough and we had to check out a constructive plan to help them aspire for and achieve better living standards. We adopted two gypsy tenements in Thanakulam, Redhills, Chennai to provide for housing, education and a range of other services,” says Devi.

Street Vision regularly supplied food for children suffering from terminal diseases like Cancer, Tuberculosis and HIV.

They also reached out to leprosy patients, transgender, orphaned street kids and senior citizens in more than eight slums. Food, health and personal care, Devi feels, are the basic things which ensure respectful survival. She also studied Child Psychology to further unlearn her assumptions about street kids.

“The fact that I come from a street family is both a boon and a bane for my work. I had to guard myself from labeling their regular habits and attitudes. I wanted to prepare myself to see them as children, without any labels, to plan their future,” she warns. Skill training programs for women and transgender are also organized regularly.

With experience and new sources of support, Street Vision is trying to reach far to the underprivileged families in Irukam Island in Andhra Pradesh. “The 300 odd Scheduled Caste families in this island are fifty years behind in development and still struggle to make ends meet. Street Vision offers clothes, rice and simple awareness programs to learn the community’s interests,” says Devi, who has always taken time and effort to understand communities.

CSIM happened at an unexpected time in her career and Devi is glad she made the choice to further upgrade herself. “CSIM was a surprise to me and brought about a big change in my life. I learnt to vouch for my work on different platforms. I began to channel my interactions with beneficiaries as a participant. I personally felt I have become closer to them.

I believed in women’s social strength but the intimacy I developed with communities enabled me to see social strength everywhere. I had to see to believe. CSIM enabled me to see all such community strengths and this came in very handy during corona relief work,”.

Street Vision was one of the 120 NGOs engaged by the government for relief work during the Covid-19 pandemic. Devi was awarded by the Chennai Corporation for Street Vision’s tireless efforts in reaching out to the needy people.

Seetha Devi was awarded the Love and Peace Award by Care India Network in 2019.

Madras School of Social Work recognized her work by presenting her with the Best Woman (North Chennai) award in 2016 for her successful work with multiple beneficiary groups in the slums.

Also a recipient of the Gandhi Award for Young Achievers from The Governor of Tamil Nadu in 2019.

While basic needs has been the focus so far, Devi also feels she must build shelter homes for senior citizens without families, street kids and tribal. “Street Vision does not only think about a dignified life. It also knows the value of respectful death. We do not wish to see anybody from the streets left to die all alone.

I envisage our shelter homes to build a family ecosystem that takes care of all physical, social and emotional needs,” says a committed Devi, looking forward to the inauguration of the boys’ home.

In collaboration with Street Vision, the Chennai District Office of the Department of biochemistry, Social Welfare and Nutrition, Government of Tamil Nadu, we are giving awareness for Women’s and Girls and also we are conducting awareness Programs in various parts of Chennai.

Official website of Street Vision Trust: streetvision.in