Save the Children

Sandhya is a 13-year-old girl who lives with her mother, brother and grandmother in a small rural village in southern India. Their home is very small, with just one room and an outdoor kitchen. It is made from concrete and stone, with a sheet of tarpaulin which is used as a makeshift front door. It is surrounded by other small stone cottages, which back onto endless cotton, chilli and chickpea plantations.

When Sandhya was just ten years old, she dropped out of school to work picking chillies with her mother. She says “I used to wish, ‘if only I could study.’ I would feel bad when I saw girls of my age are going to study. I did not want to work in the chilli field. I worked in the chilli fields for almost one and half years. I earned 200 rupees per day (USD 2.80 per day) for this work.”

“I was ten years old when I worked in the chilli fields. I would work the whole day; I would pluck the chillies, my fingers would burn and I couldn’t wipe the sweat from my face. We used to say to each other ‘when will this day end, when will this day end?’

A Save the Children Community Worker saw she was working and encouraged her mother to let her return to school. She told her that education was extremely important for girls, and that Sandhya needed to attend school regularly to keep up with her peers. The worker also told her mother about different government programs to help reduce the financial burden on her family. The Community Worker succeeded and Sandhya, now 13, loves to study.  She says “Now I am able to catch up and study well and get top marks.”

She is also a child champion, which means she is supported by Save the Children to lead discussions in her community around things like education and child labour. Being a child champion has made Sandhya feel like she can give back to her community and help ensure that other girls like her have the opportunity to complete their education.

Sandhya’s dream is to finish her education and one day become a lawyer, so she can help other families deal with issues like child marriage.

Thank you for your support of children like Sandhya!