Padma Kharshela, a 40-year-old migrant woman working in the brick kilns of Andhra Pradesh shows her gratitude that her children now can sleep in a proper house, which they don’t have to crawl into and have a space to learn and play.
Faguna Kharsela’s 6-year-old son is also happy seeing toys, books and other study material for the first time since his birth in a brick kiln in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh. Faguna along with his friends staying in the brick kiln got chance to play and learn at the work site learning centre set up in Jeenaram village.
In an effort to provide a safe and healthy environment and basic learning facilities to young children living in different brick kilns of Andhra Pradesh, Aide et Action, with support from Bernard van leer Foundation (BvlF), has set up model houses and learning centre for the young children which is first of its kind in India.
India Representative BvlF Dharitri Patnaik, South Asia Head of Migration Research Centre Umi Daniel and Regional Manager Aide-et-Action Sreedhar Mether inaugurated the school and child-friendly houses built for the workers at Jeenaram in Medak.
Patnaik thanked the brick kiln owner Baburao Chowdhry for his support and stressed on ensuring better living conditions for young children and the impact it has on physical and mental development of the children.
Patnaik also emphasised on linking ICDS to these work sites so that young children can get nutritional, health and learning services.
The Andhra Pradesh Government has extended its support for mid day meal (MDM) for the kids residing in the kilns and pledged to extend its support regularly for this type of initiative, said Girl Child Development Officer under Rajeev Vidya Mission Zakir Hussain.
A total of 12 houses were built for the brick kiln workers. These houses are especially designed to be child-friendly to protect the children from dust and pollutants. Mandal Parishad Development Officer Srinivas Rao assured that the AP Government will continue supporting all brick kiln workers from Odisha who has been migrating from their state for an alternate source of income. Mandal Education Officer Praksh Rao also told to the workers that they will try to provide certificate to each student so that they can get admission in their village schools once they are back from these brick kilns. The local Deputy Tehsildar Sahdev also had participated in the programme and showed his satisfaction over the developmental work at the brick kilns.
It is worth mentioned here that every year in November, brick kiln workers with hunger gnawing inside them migrate from Odisha to Andhra Pradesh to escape abject poverty. Workers bring their children and old parents with them to these brick kilns. Children especially live their childhood in hunger, without education and in unsafe and unhealthy physical environment. Health hazards like malnutrition and lack of sanitation, no access to the public distribution system, no schools, ICDS or Anganwadi are hindrances before the young children to live a safe life.