By Sunita Sharma | Rescue Project Director
Hi Everyone,
My name is Sunita, and I am director of the Rescue Junction project in Gaya in South Bihar India.
I would like to thank you for all for donating so generously to our " from begging to books" programme which raised $999!
One thing I would like you to know is that if you came to Bodhgaya ( the centre of the Bhuddist world ) in the peak winter season you would find child beggars everywhere. If you came in the off season then the numbers would be reduced. Why? Because of course there are not so many pilgrims or tourists to throw money at them. If nobody gave then the problem would largely go away. Because there is money to be made, (sometimes a lot of money) then criminal elements get involved, and of course begging children earn more. Even better if they are disabled or blind. Look in the extreme right of the photo above and you will see a three year old child brought for begging from Nepal
So what are we doing with your help to stop this?
Firstly community awareness. In the main season we will be giving out leaflets and making lots of posters to explain the pitfalls of giving to begging children. Secondly we are working with the police to get them off the streets. Thirdly for those in genuine difficulty with your funds we are providing shelter and education Fourthly we are helping in bringing Justice to those who organise child begging. And finally we are encouraging anyone to phone the toll free childline number 1098 if they see child begging or anything that gives them concern.
Please help us continue this work as the appeal has been continued on Global Giving here
https://www.globalgiving.org/microprojects/from-begging-to-books-in-bodhgaya-india/
Lets fight for the rights of children together!
You can keep up to date with all our work on twitter at https://twitter.com/childrenofbihar
and FB at
www.facebook.com/pages/People-First-India/106083302779969
Please like and follow us!
With Thanks again,
Sunita
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.