MY ANANDA EXPERIENCE: Sherly Mathews, India Country Director
Ananda Projects
1. Child labor Rehabilitation project in Kancheepuram
Kancheepuram is a town 80 km southwest of Chennai known for its temples and rich silk fabrics. Ananda Foundation has a project here with Action for Child Labor (ACL) for the child bonded laborers in the silk industry. ACL is a registered nongovernmental organization in Tamil Nadu dedicated to children to ensure their rights.
Thousands of children slog it out in the silk-weaving industry in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu, trapped in bondage imposed by the debts of their parents who are impoverished by a crisis-ridden industry.
Historically the silk industry came to Kancheepuram with the migrant weavers from Gujarat. The native Mudaliar and Chettiar community followed the trade. Heightened national and international demand for silk and drop in agricultural income attracted more communities such as Gounders and Naickers.
The traditional weavers' retained their own children in the looms and people from other communities send their children to master weavers to learn this lucrative skill. The end result is many children in this region losing out their happy childhood.
A child in the silk industry works for 12 hours or more per day for a monthly income ranging from Rs.50- 250 ($1-6) with hardly any holidays. Their monthly loan outstanding remains uncleared despite monthly repayment and thus the bondage continues. These children suffer from innumerable health problems ranging from simple injuries to spinal disorders and eye problems. They are subjected to verbal abuse and corporal punishment as well.
Our support for this project is to run recreation education centers in five villages for children toiling their life in silk and handloom industries. The aim is to provide education to dropout children so that they may reintegrate to formal schools or to prepare them for private sitting for examinations.
The children’s mothers are organized into groups to share awareness about the importance of education for their children and their role as mothers facilitating this process. We are reaching out to about 150 children and their mothers. Other dimensions include school enrollment campaigns and village education committees. Without tackling poverty through adult employment, fair wages, and access to credit, we cannot expect reversal of the present situation.
An important outcome of this project is better exposure and change in attitude so that parents don't involve their children in bonded labor. Through our NGO partnership our aim is to restore childhood for present and future generations in this region.
