Dont kids deserver better?

aintlifestrange | 10 August, 2004 09:17

Hey bloggie dearest! Sorry ra! Ignored u for the past few days. :(

Lots been happening in my life and I dint have access to net a coupla days, so...

Anyways, one good thing is that my parents r here, visting, so am one happy child. :)

Which takes me to the topic I wanna write about. One good thing that has come out of all that crap I went thro, is that now I am involved with an NGO which is into Child Labor Abolition and Child Education. Uptil then, even I was giving just lip service to all these issues, just like most other indians.

On saturday we guys went on a field visit to one of the camps run by our NGO. Altho this wasnt the first time that I whad gone to such a camp, but somehoe intreacting with those kids who've been rescued from Child Labor always moves me. Seeing them come out so strong inspite of the adversities faced by them, is always a pleasure.

Yesterday we guys watched a smal video on Cihld Labor eradication and how parents are taking to it. It showed a few case studies, where the family income was abt 6 to 8K per annum, and yet they were very happy to spend nearly 4K on the child's education alone! Will we ever be able to make such a sacrifice for our kids' education? I wonder...

Also, that after the kids started going to school, the family actually became a family. The parents became the providers and child - the one being pampered. Otherwise uptil then, all were at the same plane, since everybody was working (not necessarily earning). Infact some parents even turned up at the Bridge Camps with gifts for their kids. And no parent complained about the lack of an earner in the famliy. On the contrary they were happier spending on the child.

Did you know that most of the schools in rural areas have a classsize of 300 children but only 1 teacher! 'Cuz the govt has sanctioned only 1 teacher per school? And yet the parents are willing to send their kids to those schools, in the hope that they will improve somebody.

So how long are we going to use Poverty as an excuse to let Child Labor continue? How long will we continue to justify a child going to work just 'cuz his/her parents are poor? How long?