Get 10 000 children out of labour and into school

In a small, hilly village in Maharashtra, India, Ela’s education was already a challenge.

Like other girls from her poverty-stricken community, she felt fortunate to have access to education at all. But it was far from a given. With her parents out at work all day, she had to carefully balance what little time she had for education with housework and looking after her younger brother in their two-room, mud-built home.

Ela, 14, knew she was one of the lucky ones, and so she tried hard to make it work. Then, when the pandemic hit, it shattered everything Ela had worked so hard for. Schools went into lockdown across the country and the door to her education slammed closed. There was some online learning offered by the school - but her family were too poor to afford a mobile phone and there was no signal in her rural village anyway.

NISD has been working with some of the most marginalised communities in India for many years. As a result, their unique community links gave them the ability to act fast during the lockdowns when other charities couldn’t.

NISD worked directly with schools and local teachers to develop self-learning materials so that the poorest girls, including Ela, with no access to mobile or networks, were not left behind. They also supported Ela to organise her home-learning with other girls in her community. Under the supervision of NISD field workers, they were able to encourage each other and keep each other on track.

Your support has meant that hundreds of girls just like Ela have been able to continue their hard-gained education throughout the pandemic. Thank you

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Far too often, the poorest families in India must choose between education and survival and, at only 16, that choice is a daily reality for Advika and her family.

Advika’s younger sister has a heart defect requiring constant and expensive medical support. Although her parents do their best to raise the funds needed to support the whole family, it’s barely enough. They are labourers, spending their days working in the sugar cane fields across Maharashtra. It's grueling, low-paid work that takes them away from the responsibilities of the home and childcare – responsibilities that instead fall to Advika, the eldest. Only when she has completed all the housework and taken care of her sister’s needs can Advika begin to think about walking to the school, several miles away. And, with what little left-over cash her parents have being spent on her sister’s health, she walks there empty handed, unable to afford books or stationery.

Like you, we believe that education is both a right and necessity for every child, regardless of circumstance. When our partners heard about Advika’s situation, they were able to provide her and her sister schoolbooks, educational materials, extra tutoring, and even menstrual hygiene kits - an expensive novelty for families like Advika’s. Now she knows that whatever struggles she and her family must face, her and her sisters’ education will always be free.

Your support means that hundreds of families just like Advika’s don’t have to choose between health and education for their children. Thank you.