The seasonal hostel at Ranchi’s lalkhatanga panchayat run by civic bodies has given a new life to children brought back from brick kilns of West Bengal.
The kids were staying with their migrant parents working in very un-conducive environment at the brick kilns. So much so that 84 such children were earlier unfamiliar with basic sanitation habits, studies and cultural activities before joining the seasonal hostel.
One among these deprived children, Sunita Tithiyar aged 12-year-old, a resident of Khunti said she had no idea that it is important to clean one’s body.
“I never knew it is essential to wash hands after urinating or defecation. Also, I did not know that children should avoid some food materials like alcohol. Pursuing studies was a dream,” she added.
Tithiyar was brought to this seasonal school in 2014 after which there has been a drastic change in her personality. She is the tallest girl here known for lot of potential.
13-year-old Itwa Oraon who came here around four years back suffering with malnutrition. He can now make hockey stick out of bamboo or form a group to play football or present a song in tribal dialect.
likewise, Urmila Khalkho aged 11 years from lohardaga said her parents hardly come to see her but the company of inmates gives no scope to feel home-sick.
Interestingly, these children accommodated at Jyotishka Seasonal Hostel have bound administration of the nearby Upper Primary School to function properly.
“62 among the 125 enrolled students of the school belong to our hostel. Years back when we started admitting rescued kids, the school principal was reluctant due to lack of teachers. later, he was forced to arrange two teachers and introduce midday meal scheme,” Hostel teachers Munni Kachhap and Shubha Tirkey said.
Presently, rescued children hailing from Gumla, Ranchi, lohardaga and Khunti districts are presently admitted here.
It was perhaps not an easy task for teachers of the hostel to groom the kids. Stating the initial hassles, teacher Sandhya Rani Behera informed it was a challenge to keep the children in the hostel.
“Dozens of kids rescued from Howrah’s brick kiln once fled out of the hostel at 3 am. We had to keep an eye on their activities round the clock. They would react when we taught them how to brush and use toilet. With the passage of time, a positive change is noticed in their habits,” Behera pointed out.
Notably, these children were trapped in seasonal migration to the State of Bengal with their parents during the months of October to May. Similar seasonal hostel is functioning in Saraikela district. The purpose is to provide special care, monthly health checkups, co-curricular classes, safe drinking water and hygiene along with ensuring safety.
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Jharkhand Chief Job Zachariah said there is a need for similar residential bridge programme in every block of the State. There are two seasonal hostels run in State by NGO named ASHA in collaboration with the Unicef.