From Child Labour to College: Support Her Future

Arohi is 7 months old. She lives with her parents and grandparents in the village of Velhale in Mahrashtra, India. Her family background is very poor. Both her parents are illiterate. The family relies on casual labour for income.

Like many rural poor people in India, Arohi’s family is very superstitious. They would use cooking oil to massage Arohi thinking this would care for her skin. Oil would also be put into Arohi’s ear as her grandparents believed this would help develop her brain.

The project team heard about Shalni when they were undertaking the projects baseline survey to judge the situation for people in the local area. The social worker who visited the home encouraged Arohi’s parents to join the project’s Care Giver Programme. This programme teaches parents proper child care practices and discourages practices based on superstition.

Arohi’s mother Suvarna joined the caregiver programme in December 2015 when she was preganant with her second child. She had not been to a doctor at any stage during her pregnancy. The programme taught Savarna about immunization during pregnancy, proper nutrition, hygiene for children and breastfeeding. She was also given access to innoculations and nutritional supplements to help with her pregnancy as well as being enrolled with the local hospital.

Now Suvarna, Arohi and her new born sister are doing well. Arohi has benefited from the skills Suvarna learned at the care giver programme. Arohi’s health has improved and Suvarna had a safe and healthy pregnancy with her second child. Without the project and you its supporters none of this would have happened.