Education & Health via Sports to Indian Slum Kids

Name of the Child: Ambika (Name changed to protect the identity of the child)

Place of Residence: SM Nagar, Vyasarpadi, Chennai

Ambika (13 yrs) was made to discontinue her education from 7th standard, in the year 2011, from the Kalyanpuram Corporation High School by her parents so that she could help the family cope up with the soaring economy.

Ambika is the eldest of four children. Her mother is a domestic worker and her father is a labourer and a person depending on Alcohol. He hardly gives money to the family and least bothers about the members of the family. It is Ambika’s mother who takes care of the whole family. She works in 3-4 households’ right from early morning till dusk. When she comes home it is usually 8.PM and brings food to the family. All the four children wait in hunger till the mother comes home with food. During the day, it is the mid day meal which feeds the children. The father comes home late night and quarrels with her mother. Sometimes the father also beats up her mother and it is Ambika who pacifies and consoles her bleeding mom. One day her mother explained the family’s economic situation and requested her to quit her school to take up a job in a household as domestic worker. Running errands for the house-hold became her duty for the next six months.

Ambika was born and brought up in the slum of SM nagar, Vyasarpadi. The outskirts of SM Nagar are known for dumping garbage. Moreover, the drinking water provided by the corporation is always a mix of sewage water and the water is all the time black in colour. As a result SM nagar is a hub of communicable diseases. During rainy season, the roads of SM nagar are drenched with garbage and sewage water. Mosquitoes and flies raid all the households. Most of the children in this locality all the time have some physical ailments and visit the hospital for medical treatments. The health centre in SM nagar is most of the time dysfunctional and requires constant advocacy and lobbying with the corporation health officils. It is during one rainy season Ambika attended the children collective meeting of SCSTEDS with her friend and was astonished to hear her friend talk about the problem of mixture of sewage water in the drinking water. Till that day, Ambika was thinking that being poor and a slum dweller it was their fate to drink that water. The members of the collective discussed in detail about the ill-effects and ways in which it could be rectified. Finally, the group also decided to draft a petition for submission to the Local Ward Councilor demanding for quality and safe drinking water. Ambika was very impressed with the group activities. She expressed her wish of continuing her education and joining the group. The group cohesion and the member’s interest towards asserting their rights influenced Ambika to a greater extent. Ambika also understood that education plays a significant role in shaping the group member’s personality. So she voluntarily spoke with SCSTEDS staff on helping her continue her education.

The very next day, SCSTEDS staff visited Ambika’s home and spoke with her parents. Her parents were very stubborn in not sending Ambika to the school. Regular counseling by Community workers and project staff was enabled and after 4 months of continuous intervention, Ambika’s parents were convinced. The academic year 2012 was really a dream come true year for her. She has been admitted in class 8 in the Erikarai Government High School. She now desires to complete her school education and pursue her higher studies in Law. Becoming an advocate is Ambika’s ambition in life.