Rural Woman Overcomes Barriers of Child Labour

Story By: Arushi Narchal
Written By: Kajol Tanaya
Sangeeta drops her head in grief and looks up again with a half-hearted smile. Thirty-four years old Sangeeta Oraon lives in a small village in the Gumla district of Jharkhand with her husband and two daughters.

“My studies were frequently interrupted with domestic duties. I would be asked to take the cattle for grazing or attend to my siblings instead of going to school one day. Gradually, the one day would stretch into weeks and I would barely realize. Just because I know what it feels like to leave behind your aspiration for everyday chores, I would never let my children suffer through the same. “My elder daughter is a bright student. She is an academic topper. Because of the COVID-19 lockdown, her education has been interrupted,” Shares Sangeeta.

The COVID-19 pandemic has incurred several inconveniences for Sangeeta and her family. When the lockdown was implemented, her husband could not step out of the house to go to work. As a construction worker, Sangeeta’s husband earns a meager wage for daily work.

Due to the restrictions imposed on commute and travel, neither could he go for work nor could he travel to the district’s market for purchasing seeds and fertilisers. The family’s tiny savings were depleted. No means persisted to afford their kid’s education or even buy general medicines in time of need.

Sangeeta came across CASA during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team arrived to sensitise the rural mass on vaccination and motivate the villagers to abide by COVID-19 protocols. They also reached out to the women in the village to form a women’s group. The program aimed to empower the rural women in Gumla with education, information, livelihood support and skill training.

“One of our chief sources of livelihood is animal husbandry,” mentions Sangeeta, “however, due to lack of hygiene and awareness on animal health, we have lost many goats from the herd. Volunteers from team CASA informed us on how to care for the goats. Under the livelihood and income generation program, each of the 13 group members received two goats with insurance.”

It would be inaccurate to say that Sangeeta received the spirit of courage from us. As the youngest child to her parents, Sangeeta passed her 10th standard with flying colours and earned a name for her family in the village. She used her example and the facility of mid-day meals to advocate for the education of her brothers in front of her parents.

What Sangeeta needed is a platform to express and empower her voice. CASA’s livelihood program, relief assistance and skill training besides the encouragement of her husband finally connected her to the path she truly wanted to pursue. With her earnings now, she can afford private tuition for her daughter to continue with education until schools reopen.