By Sandhya | Project Coordinator
The year 2008 began on a high note for Bal Ashram. Three of its children made the world proud by participating in important programmes related to child rights and education and emerged as leaders and changemakers. All the three children Bunty, Om Prakash and Amarlal emerged leaders at three different fora in carrying the message 'from exploitation to empowerment' is indeed the journey 'from slavery to leadership'.
14 year old Bunty won the Pogo Amazing Kids leadership award 2007, which was awarded to him by Bollywood Superstar Aamir Khan. This former child labourer had worked in a brick kiln in Tirasi village, Madhepura district, Bihar and was rescued in 2001 by BBA activists at the tender age of 7. After having been rehabilitated in Bal Ashram he went back to his village and helped enrol 60 children in Government school Madhepura. For this and other work, he was awarded the Pogo Amazing Kids leadership award. The award carries a citation and an award money of Rs 500,000. During the award ceremony, he won the hearts of the children, audience and the celebrities present with his innocent yet precocious words – "parents give birth, but it is each one of us who carves our space in this world with our deeds; the fruits of good work are always good".
Om Prakash Gurjar, another 15 year old from Bal Ashram was the Indian pride at the International Children's Peace Prize this year. He had won the prominent award, also called as the 'Children's Nobel' in 2006. Instituted last year, the award is given to a child with exceptional contribution to children's rights. Om Prakash was instrumental in 500 children of his and adjacent villages' children obtaining their Universal Birth Registration through birth certificate which is the first identity of a child. He also raised voice against the practice of fees taken by the Principal and teachers of his school though education is free and is their fundamental right. The case was referred to the Rajasthan State Human rights commission which took unprecedented action and said that action would be taken against any school official who charges invisible costs like building cost etc from any child. This made education truly free, due to the efforts of Om Prakash. He is now in his Class X. This year he went to Amsterdam to hand over the prize to this year's winner, Thandiwe Chama, a brave girl from Lusaka, Zambia who helped provide education for 60 children in her community in Lusaka when their own school was closed. The award was handed over by Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the erstwhile USSR and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Amarlal's voice is the voice of children of the world. Chosen as a child representative to speak alongside world leaders in the High Level Group on Education, a UNESCO initiative, Amarlal was a 'young advocate' representing the voice of child labourers across the world and highlighted their need of education to the assembled world policy makers on education. The High Level Group (HLG) on Education is a forum of education ministers of the countries of the world besides Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, the sole civil society representative. Amarlal joined hands with 3 other children from Liberia, Senegal and Columbia each representing his own country and the needs of children's right to education. Amarlal reminded the delegates –"Keep your promises to world's children by allocating more budget for education for the poor countries and to abolish child labour."
These children are just a few examples of the many children whose lives are being shaped by the Bal Ashram, run at Viratnagar, Jaipur, India. To give a brief introduction to Bal Ashram; it is a rehabilitation centre for rescued victims of child slavery and trafficking for forced labour. In their initial days at the Ashram, all boys undergo some training in the basics of literacy and numeracy. Then, those of a younger age who are found to be sufficiently intelligent or interested are put in the non-formal education section. Children aged 14 years and above are given vocational training in crafts such as screen painting, tailoring, carpentry, electrical trade, welding etc.
The distribution of the children at the Ashram by each quarter and activities is given in the following table
There are 65 children in the current quarter. About 7 children stood top in their respective classes in their school. Besides, education, they are good at their extra-curricular activities and are at the fore front of social change in the vicinity and their villages.
The children celebrated festivals like Dusehhra, Diwali and birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi - Father of Nation, Former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Sikh Guru Govind Singh, etc. A debate and essay and competition were also held. Id-Ul-Fitr was also celebrated in the Ashram and sweets were distributed amongst the kids.
On 21st October 2007 Dussehra was celebrated in the ashram in which people from the nearby village also participated. On this occasion Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Viratnagar (the highest administrative official in the area) Mr. Baldev Singh Hada, Chief Medical Officer, Village Head and some people from the child friendly villages were also present. The children presented a colourful play based on the epic Ramayana and burnt the effigy of Ravana. On the eve of Dussehra a painting competition was also organised for the children.
On the eve of Diwali, the festival of lights, a rally was taken out by the Bal Ashram children in the near by village. The rally was organised to sensitise the community on the child labour in the fire-cracker industry. Om Prakash, winner of International Children’s Peace Prize 2006 and other children called upon the people to boycott fire crackers.
Bal Ashram children also sent a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India through the SDM of Viratnagar, requesting him to look into the gravity of the situation of the children working in the hazardous industry and demanding a tougher law for it.
On the occasion of the National Children’s Day (14 November) an essay and debate competition was also organized for the children.
Tree Plantation drive was organised in 23 villages around the Bal Ashram. Some of the Bal Ashram children also went to Delhi to participate in the Regional Consultation on the Good Practices in the Elimination of Child Labour and Trafficking of Children for Forced Labour, organised by the BBA on 26 September 2007 in New Delhi. About 4 children from the ashram put forth their views in this consultation before the audiences
A team of 20 children and three teachers of Toorak College, Australia visited Bal Ashram and got to know more about the child labour and the functioning of Bal Ashram.
Bal Ashram is a centre where children rescued from situations of grave exploitation turn into leaders in their own right. It is the belief of Bal Ashram that until the victims themselves become change makers, true and sustainable change is not possible. The journey of recovery for every child at Bal Ashram starts with peer-to-peer counselling and formalisation into education and continues till he becomes a healed, smiling, confident and empowered child. Therein lies the true spirit of Bal Ashram.
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