Meet Harini, Aditi, and Saachi. They live in the capital of Bangalore, a thriving city that is the center of India’s high-tech industry. Awake at 4:30 am, they leave the house by 5, without breakfast, to climb through dumpsters and walk the streets looking for bits of paper and plastic they can turn into a few rupees. Known as “rag pickers,” they cover their faces with rags to protect them from the filth and toxins their little fingers are exposed to and their bare feet trample on. Eyes stinging, the stench overwhelms their senses. They push through the unbearable heat to earn a few cents every day just so they can eat.
By mid-afternoon, they find themselves on the streets begging, and by nightfall they are back in their slum where they may have to turn to selling their bodies to make a few more rupees.
When they finally lay their heads down to rest, their little bones are too sore to turn over and their souls too wounded to dream. Tomorrow begins another day, just like the one before it. This is life for child laborers.
But because of your compassion, these sweet sisters have a brighter future.
Now their day begins at 7:00 am with a simple breakfast of fruit or a boiled egg. Their mom has found training in our nearby economic empowerment center as a tailor. She now earns enough to stabilize their diet. At 7:30, the girls walk to your Good Shepherd School where the morning assembly begins promptly at 8:00. It’s still hot. The piles of trash still burn their eyes, but they no longer have to pick through it for sustenance. Instead, they walk past the dump, heads held high, excited about the day ahead.
Because of your gift of child sponsorship, Harini, Aditi, and Saachi spend their day in clean, sharply pressed uniforms learning, laughing, and playing, all of which heals their weary bodies and tired souls. They learn English and begin to dream about their future as police officers and engineers, teachers and nurses. They believe in tomorrow.
Without an opportunity to learn, life was bleak. But now they are filled with hope. They are safe from traffickers. They are no longer victims of child labor, all because of your willingness to sponsor their education. Thank you!
Believe in these girls. They will change the world.
Stories are real, all names and photos have been changed for protection, and are representative.
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