End Child Labour: It’s time to stop being a Silent Witness

I could throw out a bunch of statistics and facts at you right now, regarding children who don’t get the chance to be educated.

I could put one of many millions of images of children in waterlogged slums, in shoe-polish factories and cotton industries around the world.

I could share with you how at the tender age of 11, a little boy has already had a career as a miner.

I could start off with a well-meaning quote from a celebrity to put an end to child labour.
There is much more eloquent prose on the subject on the internet, than you can ever expect to read on this blog. That does not stop me from talking about it.

Because unless one talks, one can never be heard.

An issue like child labour can be completely eradicated in a country like India if every person does one simple thing: stop feigning ignorance of the reality you see around you.

Stop ignoring little Chotu who brings you your tea at the roadside dhaba.

Stop acting like you don’t see the little child who carries clothes heavier than his own body weight as your presswala.

That’s all I ask.

We write off many experiences in life as ‘the price to pay’ for our given status.

Being lonely at the top. Being harassed on the streets if you wear a short skirt. Being chided for coming out of the closet. Being married off when you’re just 14. Being made an errand boy at age 7.

Question this self-anointed price tag.

Drench yourself in the puddle of reality, rather than choosing the comfort of the pavement and umbrella.

As of today, there are 10 million children in India that work rather than study, that battle intense pangs of hunger and thirst  than struggle over simple division, that dance in the rain with no warm place to go back to.

The children are not the problem, but the solution.

That’s 10 million solutions.

Simple mathematics.

When friends ask me why I choose to go into slums with open, overflowing gutters to talk to children for a school enrollment campaign, and look at me as if I’m insane – I just smile. Because I’m too busy envisioning a world with no poverty and children happily going to schools every single day. That’s not my bold idealism talking, it’s a reality we can all create if we choose to. In fact, it is imperative that we do.

- Nitisha Pande (Volunteer with CRY)

Summer Camp - Day 2

Day 2 started with the Photography session at 9 a.m. by Anuja Gupta. Children were enthusiastic and interested to learn more about photography and see their photographs they had clicked the previous day. Children were given feedback by Anuja on the photographs and were given another assignment to shoot portraits.

After the break, all the photographs clicked by the children were shown to them and they were told where and how they could make their photographs better. The children who clicked outstanding pictures were appreciated for their work.

Children were happy and developed a keen interest in photography. Volunteers spoke about how they found improvement in the children and also their photography in the two day workshop. Children thanked the photography facilitator. The next session was a fun filled dance workshop where they began with a warm-up on a fusion of songs taught to them by one of our volunteers. Children had lots of fun dancing. A group of 8-10 girls even did a performance for all the volunteers.

The children were given medals as a token of appreciation and after that they were served snacks. The children truly enjoyed the summer camp and the volunteers also had fun teaching all the children. 

Volunteers Speak...

This summer camp has gifted me priceless feeling i.e. satisfaction of making kids happy. That beautiful smile on their face made me forget all the worries and has opened the door of happiness.

The way they address you as elder sister, treat u with such affectionate love and respect and their innocent way of asking question has created cute bond with them and I have started feeling more attached with these super cute kids.

-Prajakta 

I never thought working with an NGO would be so much of fun. The children's enthusiasm, dedication for their work, their never ending questions and innocence, everything made them very special.

- Srushti

I like spending time with kids and I got a chance to do so at Jaibai School summer camp, they were everything kids are suppose to be, you could see it in their eyes, enthusiasm, eagerness, fun and a whole lot of naughtiness. I got a glimpse of a way to have fun while I got a chance to help and looking at them I want to continue to do so.

- Clinton

Summer Camp @ Jai Bai School (Day 1)

The day started with the kids assembling at 8:30 in Jai Bai School, Kalyan eager to start the day. The volunteers interacted with the kids and got them to do energizers like “Fun Yoga”. After a short break the next session was on Photography by Anuja Gupta, a professional photographer. It was a new and highly interesting subject for the children. They were shown a few landscape and portrait pictures which the children found very fascinating. They were told the story behind each picture, how and where the pictures were taken. Anuja then took the children through the basics of photography as to how to hold the camera and how to focus on the picture that one wants to capture.

The children were then divided into 5 groups; each group was led by a volunteer and given cameras. They had to capture photos depicting what they love about their school. The children scattered around the school with cameras in their hands and a gleam in their eyes as they clicked to their hearts content. They captured trees, their school building, their classrooms, their friends, pictures with CRY volunteers while trying to be as creative as possible. 

Following this fun session, children came back and were shown photos of daily lives, these photos were shown to them so that they understand sometimes it’s not always going out for a scenic beauty and taking photos but even in our day to day life, in our vicinity we can find that life has some interesting aspects and even the little things are worthy of observing.

Volunteers then presented a fun filled puppet show for the kids. The children laughed their way through it while learning an important message about the importance of education and how important it is in life to follow our dreams, as well as to keep in touch with our old friends and keep cherishing the memories forever.

The last activity for the day was a presentation on traffic rules and road safety. The volunteers taught the kids the rules of traffic signals with an interesting game. They had prepared boards with various road signs on them. Various dangerous situations and the correct ways to act on the road were taught by acting out scenarios. In the end the kids got pictures clicked in the cutout of a car to make the activity more memorable and to add a little fun to the learning. 

Volunteers prepared a Puppet show for the children

Children participated in the Photography Workshop

Fun Session on Road Safety