Special School  For Carpet Working Children

AID - Jharkhand (Garhwa Chapter)

The schools have been set up in the villages where the children work. On certain occasion the schools are also run in the same place where children are  on the looms the schools are equipped and teaching services provided, through the project. Currently there are 80 school operating and these serve approximately 1800 children (bonded and carpet working) Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java(tm).

The school's syllabus seeks to provide basic education in literacy and numerically for children from ages 5 to 14 years.  They attend classes each working day for four hours. In addition the schools provide for sports and recreational activity.

The programme also provides counselling and training services to deal with :

 ·                    Nutrition and diet

·                    Health

·                    Financial advice

·                    Parental education in family support

·                    Vocational training for parents and children

·                    Child unions

·                    Child courts of justice

 ·                    Vocational skill training

·                    Cooperatives for alternative employment

·                    Civil society awareness

·                    Teacher training

This program has enabled he child workers of carpet units to get respite from their work 3 hours every day. they are now getting opportunity to study , play and as well there  health needs are taken care.

prior to initiation of the program there was no forum for the carpet child labourers to determine the wages , protective measures at the work place , the common problems of debt they face and the ways and measures to ensure their youngrr brothers and sisters donot enter the same vocations. The most common cause for bondage has been the debt incurred by the family. Hence the combined forum of the carpet children have formed the Kalin Bal Mazdoor Mukti Vahini (Carpet Child labourers Liberation Forece) and Bal Kosh (Children Fund).

Management and operation

 The project is operated and managed  by AID India (Garwa Chapter).  It works with and is operated by the parent and local village communities and also through Bal Mukthi Vahini and Kalin Mazdor (being a form of employee unions set up by AID India).

 The programme also includes the training of personnel e.g. community leaders, to both provide and manage the services.

   Objectives

 By the end of the ten year period (i.e. March 2010),  the process of training the local community leaders, teachers and organisations involved in providing the services  will be completed and the management of the services will be handed over by AID India to them, both as regards daily operations and future funding. 

Within that time it is envisaged that the transition from the current child labour situation to a child education / adult employment situation will have been accomplished, resulting in the elimination of child labour.