February 2007. Chunnu and Chan are two of the boys NDS works with. They had been helpers in a tannery, handling various chemicals used in leather tanning, and passing long hours in closed spaces smelling the chemicals. Pinki had been working as a helper in a rubber-making factory, where she was exposed to intolerable smells and constant heavy dust. The other girls, Sonia and Reshma, had been working as maids. They worked over 14 hours a day. All of these children worked to earn money and help support their families.

After careful selection, NDS identified these and other children, withdrew them from their hazardous work, and enrolled them in a one-year, non-formal education program that taught them basic literacy, numeracy, and civic education. Upon graduation from this program, they became eligible for skills training, and are now receiving specific vocational education at their local NDS drop-in center. They and their parents believe that after receiving training, they will be earning good amounts of money each month and be able to live in dignity.

Funding provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreements E-9-K-2-0048 and E-9-K-4-0005.
Information on this web site is provided and maintained by Winrock International.
The U.S. Government is not responsible for the veracity of information contained on this site.