Help malnourished children working in toxic coal mines fight hunger and critical health conditions

“I have three children and all of them come to the mines with me to help pick coal. They are hardly able to breathe because of the smoke and dust. They are constantly falling sick. But we have no other option. If we don’t work here, we will starve,” sobs Rinki Devi, one of the many mothers forced to scavenge for coal in the toxic mines of Jharkhand for her family’s survival.

Over 1,000 children in the Ramgarh district area have been identified with severe malnutrition, mental health and respiratory conditions, owing to coal toxicity. 

YUVA (Youth Union for Voluntary Action), a local NGO, has resolved to provide urgent medical and nutritional support to these children and pull them out of generational poverty through education. Help YUVA save children from working in life-threatening coal mines and give them a better future.

A generational trap of poverty

“Villagers from Ramgarh have been working in defunct coal mines here for over three generations and now even the next generation is at risk of getting trapped in this life-threatening occupation. The absence of industry or agriculture in the area has left villagers with no other source of earning. More than 12,000 people here are involved in this work and their children have been compelled to work in the coal mines,” says Rakesh Narayan, one of the founders of YUVA.

According to Narayan, the kids are the worst affected. Scavenging for coal in abandoned mines is often done by entire families, with children forced to work in hazardous conditions. As some may never be educated, they are often compelled to follow their parents in taking up this deadly occupation to earn a living. 

Major health hazard 

“As kids accompany their parents to mines from a very young age, many of them now face serious respiratory disorders such as asthma, tuberculosis, acute bronchitis, etc and many are losing their eyesight. Other health conditions like epilepsy and cerebral palsy are also rampant. From children to adults, all face accidents,” says Narayan.

YUVA believes, “a holistic intervention” - from tending to the healthcare needs of children to providing them with education, YUVA’s approach is to break the cycle of generational poverty.

“We are trying our best In our limited capacity and with limited resources. But we cannot do it alone. We need the support of people to expand our mission and end the scavenging in mines forever,” says Narayan.

Kids from coal mining areas of Jharkhand are in acute need of education and medical support. With your help, YUVA can save kids from working in toxic and hazardous coal mines and break the cycle of poverty.