Protect 500 Street & Working Children in India

This project could not be more important for children living in Vilpatti, a remote village located in the Palani Hills, and the nearby towns of Palani and Dindigul. Since the GlobalGiving campaign in April, during which you helped raise over £1,400, the project has helped over 1,000 vulnerable children living in the three locations within Dindigul District. Some of these children have been rescued from the street and reunited with their families; others have received vital training in local trades, enabling them to find safe and secure work. All children are given the appropriate support they so badly need to restart their lives.

Recently, Arunodhaya, ICT’s partner in Tamil Nadu, rescued an 11-year-old girl who was being physically abused by her father. She is now receiving counselling and support to continue with her education. She has just passed her grade five examinations at school and Arunodhaya is currently trying to trace her relatives.

Many children are now benefiting from informal education classes and after-school tuition at Arunodhaya’s Rescue Centres, which are designed to suit the daily routine of street and working children and meet their diverse standards and abilities:

“My family members come home late after their work so I used to play in the streets and in my slum area. But now we go to the community centre in Dindigul. I found that every day the teacher helps us with our home work and once a week there is a general knowledge class. I just passed all my subjects and got 70 marks in maths, which I used to fail before!” (Kumar, 12 years old)

Although the project is making such a difference to the lives of so many children, there is still so much more to do - the issue of bonded labour is an increasing problem in Dindigul. Thousands of girls, often from poor rural communities, are lured into the garment industry with an incentive of earning their own dowry at the end of a three-year apprenticeship. Instead they end up working in deplorable conditions for years earning virtually nothing and often do not receive the final payment. Arunodhaya is now trying to end this exploitative system and provide alternative livelihoods for these children.

Thank you so much for contributing to this fantastic campaign – it really did mean so much to us, and, more importantly, the children the project is supporting in Dindigul District. Please contact us if you would like any more information on the project and its progress, and any further donations would, of course, be gratefully received!

Links:

• Krishnan Guru-Murthy talking about sponsoring a child with ICT