Support To Migrant Children Back To School And Health Needs

Amit and Pradeep from Suabahal Village of Belpada Block were reading in class 10th and Gomati Sujata from Barbandh Village of Nuribahal Block reading in class 8th migrated to Brick industry of Telengana were rescued by police as severely torch red in worksite and send back to home.

These children along with 25 other children migrated for work, who don’t have alternatives as their parents are distressed after COVID-19. These are only some names of children and large numbers of children migrate every year from Bolangir districts to various brick kilns of Andhra, Telangana, Tamilnadu, and Karnataka and stay in unhygienic worksites for six to eight months. Drought, hunger and COVID-19 forced them to move. They move to leave their village, friends, and relatives and stay far from the township in a polythene and a raw bricks-made small home. The food, culture, and language is different and they work for 8 hours in the brick industry in processing and head load for lifting brick from one place to another,

They left school for eight months, forgetting to study, and after returning, they hesitated to go again. When they return to school examinations are also over and they don’t have any study books and materials. They do not feel comfortable as they forget learning and feel inferior to other friends who have already been promoted to the next class. Many also suffered from health hazards like skin diseases, anaemia and respiratory diseases. This is the story of children in migration who are out of school and joining the labour force. There is no provision to stay in villages and continue education.

Youth service centres started some motivation centres in the villages to bring back these children to school again. Village volunteers take two hours to bring them to the motivation centres where they play, interact, sing, dance, draw pictures, share their experiences in migration and slowly motivate them to education. They are taught the basics and try to bridge up the learning competency and ultimately send back to school again. With proper counselling, motivation and coordination with the administration, it works and we can send many children to school after coming back from migration. But After COVID-19 the situation became worst. The organisation faces many problems in resource mobilisation for these children.

Therefore support for school bags, some amount for books study materials, medicine and teaching-learning aids will create many impacts. A small investment can change the lives of children.

The small support to children changes the trend and cycle of vulnerability by sending them to school. They will be prevented from exploitative migration and free from abuse.. The long tradition as Father move then the child and again the child marries his son and the daughter move and the Cycle is never ending and from generation to generation the migration cycle continued. The cycle of distress must be checked and the change can happen with a small contribution. When the child is educated he or she becomes the change agent of the families and societies. This is also to empower to end poverty and exploitation where children can take the lead.