Wednesday 27 November 2013

Is poverty just bad luck? : Majima's Story

6-year old Majima Khatoon, one of the 9220 children we reached in the quarter July - Sep '13, says, “Mere log, mera gulab, sab gaon mein chhoot gaye. Yahaan  chhupa-chhupi khelne dost bhi nahee hain”. (My relatives and my rose plant are in my village. I don’t even have my friends to play hide-n-seek with, here!).


India has a rich tradition of caring for children through the extended family, but when Majima’s parents migrated, that network got lost. 

Majima is one of the 60 million children in India, living in poverty and in dire need of care, especially so if you are a migrant child, moving across rural and urban landscapes in India, and coping with neglect, harsh living conditions and little access to playgrounds, schools and healthcare.
 Majima is lucky, as the site on which her parents work has a Mobile Creches’ centre to take care of her. She’s learning reading and math to get into formal school.

But poverty is not just bad luck. And the opportunity to learn, play and eat should not just be a matter of chance. How do we ensure the right to protection and development for every child?


children at a construction site centre

children at a construction site centre