Rafa Home | New Generation

Rafa Home for Girls

Rafa Home for Girls cares for vulnerable girls, helping them grow beyond trauma of the past and leading them in transformative journeys.

The story of Rafa Home for Girls

Out of concern for girls vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and stigma, New Generation Trust initially launched two distinct homes: “Courage & Healing Home” (opened in 2012) for girls rescued from trafficking and abuse, as well as a second home (opened in 2013) for girls with special health needs.

Eventually the residents came together under the single banner “Rafa Home for Girls.”

Since January 2012 we have helped over 230 girls begin on the road from brokenness to healing. We strive to create a safe environment to fuel creativity, stir hope, and empower our girls to make good choices in life.

Our Approach

Girls are assigned to the home by the Child Welfare Committee, Department of Women and Child Development, Government of NCT of Delhi. The girls have survived a wide variety of situations, including incest, rape, sex trafficking, bonded labor, abandonment, and neglect. Some live with special health needs. Some are sent to us immediately after rescue by police. In other cases, concerned friends, social workers, or relatives have referred girls to the Child Welfare Committee.

We provide holistic inputs to help girls grow physically, emotionally, socially, mentally, and creatively. Some girls stay with us for 2-6 months and then proceed to other long-term care options. Many others have been assigned to us until they turn 18. Yet for each child, regardless of how much time we have to invest, we aim to impart a love for learning, hope for a better future, and new ways of relating, so that she will be less vulnerable to future exploitation and equipped to help others.

We Provide...

Education

Life Skills Training

Medical Care

Trauma Counseling

Legal Support

Nutrition

Creative Therapy

Career Exposure

"You may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I'll rise."
- Maya Angelou

Disha's Story

Eleven-year-old Disha* lived in a slum in Delhi. Her parents parted ways when she was very young, and she remained with her father and her younger brother. Life was hard: At a very young age she had to take care of the house and look after her brother.

Being the only source of income for the family, her father would come home late at night after long days of work. Disha grew up feeling neglected and lonely. Seeing scant parental protection, neighbors took advantage of Disha’s situation and abused her. This led to her arrival at Rafa Home for Girls.

Through the intervention of our programs, she has begun to embrace affection and to process her pain. She is finding meaning in life. She has made quick progress in her studies and has made new friends in the Home.

Disha demonstrates a sense of security and love which she says she is experiencing in the home. Our hope for Disha is that she would relish a second chance at childhood while at Rafa Home for Girls. ❦

Sana's Story

In the early days after she came to Rafa Home for Girls, Sana* was violent, self-harming, and would sometimes fly out of control. Abandoned by her relatives after her parents died, she held a lot of unresolved anger towards her family—anger which she often vented against the women in the home.

However, Sana engaged with the long, often difficult process of change, and we have seen her grow. She has shared about the rejection she faced and all she went through as a child. We have listened to her story and helped her to attend to how it has negatively impacted her.

Sana learned “grounding exercises” that enable her to remain calm when she feels anger surging up inside. She is learning to verbalize her thoughts and feelings, so that she can talk through the troubling emotions rather than act out. She is now able to listen, receive correction, and acknowledge her mistakes. She has become quick to resolve conflicts with her friends in the home.

As she has grown in self-regulation, Sana has shown us other aspects of herself. She loves taking part in group activities, especially drama and music. She is a good dancer and actor, and she can mimic characters and portray them in interesting ways.

We hold the vision that Sana will mature even more, so that as a result of having survived the rejection of her past and faced its hurtful effects on her, she will be able to provide acceptance and hope to others in the future. ❦

*All names have been changed to maintain privacy

Surbhi's

Story

Surbhi* was a bright little 6-year-old with the cutest smile when she came to Rafa Home for Girls. She had been rescued from the street, where she lived with her alcoholic mother. Having had hardly any educational background, Surbhi initially struggled when she first joined a regular school.

Though Surbhi was once the youngest in the home, even as a younger child she has shown a lot of leadership. She cares for other children in the home and consistently seeks to help. She loves to dance and play, and she teaches other children how to play games. She is a cheerful girl and can easily strike up a conversation with anyone. She is well-loved by both the girls and the carers.

Surbhi may have had very little experience of family in her earliest years, but she is now learning how to live in a family—and how to be family to others. ❦

Teacher helping Aliza to match colors .jpg

Roshni's Story

A special needs child with developmental delay due to chronic illness, Roshni* had suffered from severe malnourishment and had been hospitalized before she came to us.

Yet in her first days at Rafa Home for Girls she was not lethargic: She would scream, hit, and scratch. Bath times were a battle as she resisted brushing her teeth or getting dressed. She refused to eat or take medication. The women on the team struggled to understand what she was trying to communicate.

We asked a special needs educator for help. She came to the home and conducted an emotional assessment of Roshni, focused on decoding the child’s signals and behavior. Afterward, she helped us to identify better ways we could support and care for Roshni. We came to see that for Roshni, it must have come as a great shock to be suddenly sent to a new environment with many changes. We simply needed to employ different methods to lead her through each day’s routine in ways that would reassure her.

Roshini has now settled into her new home. She enjoys music and playing with other children. She has quickly become a favorite “little sister” for many of the girls! The fact that she has special needs, and is therefore more vulnerable, has had the effect of stirring up others’ compassion, while they themselves take steps forward on their own healing journeys. ❦