The youths, who started this campaign 10 months ago, aim to ultimately rid the area of child labor and educate the children. “We give tuition classes to other students and use the money earned to teach the child laborers,” said president of the school Hari Khadka. “We teach others in the morning and evening and teach the child laborers during the day,” said another teacher Surya Bhujel. [break]
The youths have also made arrangements with a local school to allow the children to appear in exams. More than 100 of the 150 children currently working in three brick factories in Pithuwa go to the school run by these youths.
Even parents are delighted to have their children educated. “We had brought our children here hoping that they would help us in our work. But now, they have also started to read,” said Samir Majhi who came from Sarlahi to work in a brick factory.
His five children, like four of Shyam Bahadur Majhi, now go to school. “We could not have afforded to send them to other schools,” Samir said.
Most of the students in Hamro Awaj are children from Majhi, Tharu, Kushwaha and dalit communities.
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