Rescue and educate "carpet kids" in South Asia

Dear GlobalGiving Supporters,

We just received the attached photograph of one of our beneficiaries in Nepal and we wanted to share it with you.

Eleven year-old Purnima was literally born in a Kathmandu factory where her parents worked as carpet weavers. She and her two brothers knew nothing about the outside world, but only the pain that came from her alcoholic fathers’ drunken rages and the hunger from barely eating two meals a day. 

In Purnima’s world, carpet weaving was an exhausting daily routine until June 29, 2010 when a GoodWeave inspector discovered her. She is now enrolled in a second level class at GoodWeave’s rehabilitation center and receiving counseling to help cope with her tragic upbringing. 

With your support, Purnima has entered a new world, as you can see from the image of her giggling, and she hopes one day to be a doctor to help other children.

Thank you for making this possible,

Rebecca

Last December GoodWeave inspectors found young Jaidul working on a carpet loom in Bhadohi, India. He was far from his family's home in West Bengal. Jaidul told the GoodWeave team how difficult it was to survive with three siblings, a paralyzed father, and only two meals a day, so he started to work to supplement their meager income.

Our organization's staff accompanied Jaidul back to his village to reunite him with his parents and discuss the best way to keep Jaidul safe, fed and in school where he belonged. GoodWeave offered to sponsor Jaidul's education - one of the choices given to rescued "carpet kids" who feel comfortable returning to their local community.

But the story doesn't end there. GoodWeave's dedicated staff are sure to check-in on the children who return home. So in late April, we were delighted to see Jaidul again and hear about his joy of learning. His teacher said that he attends school every day and his mother proudly stated that with her son's education, he will be better able to help the family in the future.

Jaidul is just one of the beneficiaries of the GlobalGiving project "rescue and educate carpet kids in South Asia" that you generously support. He's also One in a Million - the awareness campaign that GoodWeave has launched to inform consumers about the estimated one million children once exploited in this industry and the one million knots that it takes to make a handmade carpet.

This week, GoodWeave commemorated World Day Against Child Labor. To honor the occasion, CNN International played two powerful segments about our work. Please watch the clip we've attached, get inspired, and feel proud that you are supporting this urgent and effective solution.

Next report, we'll tell you about the official announcement of our partnership with Macy's!

Links:

• Inspiring three minute video about our work in Nepal