COVID-19 India Project #46281

Save 1000s of Indian Children exposed to COVID

by Railway Children

Save 1000s of Indian Children exposed to COVID

Project Report | Mar 24, 2023
Arun saved his father's life, and changed his own

By Heather Kelly | Supporter Engagement Officer

16-year-old Arun lived with his family in a slum community where they had very little to live on and survivial was a constant struggle. Our teams got to know the boy during our work within these communtities – which started when the pandemic hit India causing many people in these areas to be left with nothing. We were in the community one day delivering emergency food parcels when Arun came to us to say his father needed help.

He had injured himself some time ago but tried to carry on working in order to feed his family. Unfortunately this meant the wound on his leg had worsened and was now infected leaving him in terrible pain and with a fever. Arun’s dad had to be rushed to hospital but by then he needed surgery as well as a blood transfusion. There was very little blood available so our teams went to the local community and pleaded with people to come forward if they could help, but with so many people anxious and malnourished after battling through the pandemic it was hard to encourage anyone.

Eventually one of our team members, inspired by Arun’s story, stepped up and offered to donate blood himself. After seeing him do this, a few other people in the community followed suit and soon there was enough blood available for Arun’s father to have his surgery.

The operation was a success and Arun’s father recovered quickly. He was soon able to go home to his family and we are continuing to keep in touch with them as they recover from the challenges of the past few years. Arun’s bravery in seeking out our team and asking for help almost certainly saved his father’s life, and he is now able to concentrate on his schooling and look forward to training for a future trade without worrying about his dad.

Without support like yours we wouldn't be able to save such a supportive presence in these communities, children and families wouldn't trust us the way they do, and hundreds of families in India's slum communities wouldn't be getting the support the need.

Thank you for being there for children like Arun, and their families.

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Nov 27, 2022
"You helped me find my voice" Priya, 12 years old

By Heather Kelly | Supporter Engagement Officer

Priya, 12 years old

Priya is a 12-year-old girl who lives with her family in one of Delhi’s slum communities alongside the railway line.
Clustered together in ramshackle buildings, these families exist within inches of passing trains and Railway Children was the only charity to work within the community there when Covid arrived. At that stage both of Priya’s parents had lost their daily income due to the pandemic and her mother had also been diagnosed with kidney failure. Priya is one of eight children and the family needed emergency food parcels during the pandemic – but throughout this difficult time, and no matter what hardships she faced, Priya has been an inspiration.
With your help we made sure all the children had ID cards and armed with her official paperwork Priya has been attending school and studying hard at every opportunity.
Her life is far from easy, but rather than being defined by her situation Priya has developed into a natural leader and is encouraging other children in the slums to come forward for support.
Our teams have met many who have dropped out of school, been forced into child labour or become addicted to drugs. We have set up children’s centres within the slums where we can offer support and activities and Priya plays an active role in bringing children to our team and encouraging them to embrace the opportunities we can offer them. She has learned so much about child marriage, child rights and education that she is now leading the children’s group, speaking on these issues and motivating others to follow her example.
"You helped me find my voice, and taught me how to use it."
Priya continues to work hard at school, with plans to either become a teacher or a youth worker so she can continue to help other children reach their potential. With all her paperwork in place, as well as her dedication and passion, we know she will succeed.
But we also know that there are still many more children living in the same slum community that do not have ID cards and cannot attend school.
With your help our teams can go out into the communities and support them with the paperwork to get their children properly registered and on the path to a better, brighter future, thank you.

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Jul 29, 2022
Providing a lifeline for Sanjeev and his family

By Heather Kelly | Supporter Engagement Officer

Sanjeev, 13 years old.

13-year-old Sanjeev was found by out outreach workers picking up rubbish at the station in Delhi. His family had lost all income when the virus hit India and were struggling to find enough to eat.

No job, no food, no education - no childhood for millions of children.

Sanjeev was heartbroken and his family was falling apart. His mother was left in the middle of a global crisis with no husband to support her, no income and four children to care for. The family home is a makeshift shelter in a squalid slum with no sanitation, where infectious diseases thrive, and Sanjeev and his brothers spend their days begging or scavenging for food. The reality was that if the virus did not kill him, the impact could well have done.

Sanjeev’s family was one of millions in India facing a desperate future. Already the hardest-hit country, its poor healthcare system, fragile economy and huge population will struggle to survive the pandemic. Millions more children have been put at risk of being forced into child labour, marriage and exploitation as a desperate means to survive the aftermath of the pandemic, which will continue to be felt for years to come.

Their desperation makes them easy targets for those looking to exploit and abuse them. We need to be there first to keep them safe. Our teams made sure Sanjeev and his family had food to eat by supplying food parcels including rice, flour and oil to last them a month. We also made sure he had counselling to help process his grief and some informal education while schools are still shut.

Sanjeev’s mother said: “I was so scared about what would happen and whether Sanjeev would have any kind of future but thanks to your support we can look forward again.”

When our outreach workers visited the family to see how they were doing, our team told us: “He's much happier and is studying hard and attending classes regularly. The family is more settled – we’ve helped his mother find a job in domestic services so she is able to feed and support her family.”

With money coming in, the family are able to start rebuilding their lives – but there are many more like them still facing a difficult future in the wake of coronavirus and its devastating legacy.

Your support is ensuring we can reach and protect the children and families most at risk, and who will be feeling the devastating impact of the pandemic for years to come. Thanks to you we can keep providing lifelines and brighter futures to children like Sanjeev, thank you.

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