Why do these photos matter the most???

If you visit Rampura in Chopda Taluka of Jalgaon District between October to April, you will see locks to almost 70% of the households. Where do these people go? These elders migrate with their entire family to Raigad to work as Sugarcane Cutters, they also go to work for road constructions. Children also migrate with their parents during this period. In these 6 months children help their family in everything they do. They cut sugar-cane, they help them lift buckets of sand, tar. Not having access to schools or education is just a tip of the ice-berg. Children faces under-nourishment, health-issues, physical-verbal-sexual abuse during this period. Our Fellows were very much disturbed when they got to know that almost 16 children from Chopda Anandghar are going to migrate with their parents.

From the next day they started having dialogue with parents to understand why they are migrating and if there is any possibility of them not going. They were constantly going to their houses to convince them to not go. Most of the people have taken advances from their Mukadams and have spent it to fulfil their daily needs and now they have no money to return. The parents knew that the migration was going to hamper the future of their children but had no answer of what they should do. They were helpless and so were we.

It took Shubham and Kalusing a week before they got the first success. The grand-mother of Ritik and Vir announced to other family members during dinner that they are not going to migrate and she is willing to face all circumstances of the decision. Her determination gave power to the other family members and in the next one month they arranged Rs. 10000/-, the advance they had taken from the Mukadam. Ritik and Vir's father went to Mukadam, returned the advance and told him that they are not going to come.

But this is not the end. The decision of Ritik & Virs family worked as a motivation for others as well.

6 families from Rampura decided that they will not migrate this year. We were able to save 8 children from migrating.

8 children not going to work with their parents means 8 children saved from child-labour. This also means 8 children saved from facing abuse. This also means 8 children not dropping out of the school. This also means a ray of hope for a better future for 8 families.

We could only think of the courage they show to take this decision. We could only think of the hardships they have to go through to stand with that decision.

This year during our annual foundation day program we decided to felicitate all these parents for their courage and determination.

These photos are from the 11th Foundation Day Celebrations of Vardhishnu which was held on 22nd June 2024. All of them were in tears and so were we.

These photo are a testomony of the sheer courage, determination, hardwork, persistence of 6 families who did everything they could to see the brighter future for their children. Their courage is going to be the ray of hope, inspiration for all the children, community members from Rampura. Because next year we know that we are going to be able to stop an even higher number of families from migrating. But this is not it; we are currently working with the local industrialists, business houses and factories to create an ecosystem which will absorb these families and will help them to have an alternative livelihood. 

Because at the end; EVERY CHILD MATTERS….

Copyright @Adwait Dandwate