Building a Future for Brick Kiln Children in India

Saniya is 9 years old and lives at a brick kiln factory with her family. Like many families from impoverished tribal communities, Saniya's parents are indebted to the brick kiln factory owner. The very low salary paid by the owner makes it very difficult for her mother and father to make any impact on their debt. Their wages have to go first towards paying back this loan, which often means Saniya and their other two children suffer.

Both Saniya's mother and father work long back-breaking days in the brick kiln. As they are both working, Saniya had dropped out of school so she could take care of her brother and sister and take responsibility for all the housework. The family often has no money for proper clothing and they struggle to have enough food for even one meal a day.

Saniya dropped out of school in 4th standard aged 8. She used to watch the children in her village going to school but due to her family problems it was not possible for her to join them.

Our Brick Kiln project is helping to lift Saniya and her family out of this dire poverty. As part of this work, we run a nutrition centre in order to enable children to get sufficient food to help them grow. Saniya brings her brother and sister every day to the centre so they can have a healthy lunch.

Alongside providing food, the centre also provides non-formal education programmes to re-engage children like Saniya in learning.  Our staff use fun and creative methods to engage the children, and also work alongside their parents to encourage them to support their children's education. 

Since coming to our centre, Saniya has learnt to read and write. She now understands the importance of education and that if she can complete her education she'll be able to take a better job. This will enable her to help her family and not have to face the struggles that her parents have faced in life.