Stories of change

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Marriage is Not a Child’s Play - Geetanjali’s Story

Thu 21 Jun 2018

The people of the Sarangada Tribe blindly believe in Child Marriage. Through the ages, the tribe has been influenced by modern education and hence, these traditions are against the basic rights of children are now being questioned by some. 16-year-old Geetanjali’s family a native of Sasipada, Sarangada village of Odisha belonged to the Sarangada tribe and believed in the tradition of child marriage. The family, a purely agrarian is facing acutely poverty for the last 4 generations. Due to all these adversities, Geetanjali’s parents were getting her married at a very young age without her consent. They told Geetanjali to follow her sister’s example of getting married at 15 years of age and having three children by the time of 21 years.

Helping Manisha get her share of Happiness

Thu 14 Jun 2018

For the last 12 years of her life, young Manisha has lived under the shadow of different flyovers all over the city of Mumbai. Currently situated under the flyover near Elphinstone Road Station, Manisha has never known what the security of a real home feels like. Two years ago, life for Manisha’s family became a living nightmare. When the toxic gasses flowing into their “home” that, made their eyes burn, aggravated their allergies, made it difficult to breathe and lowered the effectiveness of their immunes systems; eventually took her father’s life.

“I would not be where I am if I wasn’t educated.” - Hina

Wed 13 Jun 2018

Hina’s family migrated to Delhi from Meerut for a better life for her and her three brothers. All the four children were going to school back in Meerut but after migrating, things changed. Hina’s father started washing and ironing clothes in the Tughlaqabad slum area and her mother took up piecework in the garment industry wherein she had to engage in thread cutting and stone pasting. Despite both the parents working hard, the family faced great difficulty in managing their finances. This made Hina get involved in her parent’s work from a very young age. She started working full-time in the thread cutting and stone pasting work along with her mother. Her education took a major setback.

"I live on the streets because of necessity, not choice" - Ibrahim

Mon 11 Jun 2018

Young Ibrahim had lost his will to dream. With no place to call home and no regular school education, the child had the hardest start in life.

Ibrahim was enrolled in primary school but lack of housing and the constant fear of being tossed around by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) made it impossible for him to continue his education. He remained out-of-school for six years, during which he along with his brother Rajja helped their father run their tiny makeshift shop near the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai. The family faced many hardships – their shop was broken down due to a Court order, all their belongings were confiscated, and in addition, the police and the BMC harasses them on a daily basis. Most days Ibrahim feared if he would go to bed hungry. Education in such times took a backseat for both the brothers.

Domino effect: Helping Children help other Children go to School

Wed 23 May 2018

Can you recall one special wish you had as a child?
A video game, a chocolate, some dress you saw in a shop’s showcase or going to an amusement park? For some children this wish is as simple as being able to go to SCHOOL. In almost every coastal village of Odisha, poverty and recurring natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, saline inundation and storm surge make girl child education the last priority for most of the parents.