Liberation From Child Labour

Written By: Isha Sharma – Intern
Story By: Pankhuri

“I had forgotten what it felt like to play with friends. In my free time, I used to look for shade under a tree, to steal a quick nap.”

Hailing from Chatrai village of Nuzvid, Andhra Pradesh, Pranavi was used to a life of manual labour. When her mother fell gravely ill, her family had to take a major loan from moneylenders. Her father, who is a daily wage earner, did not earn enough, working as a seasonal agricultural farmer in cornfields and also as a municipal corporation worker, when the season for cultivation ends.

Pranavi was burdened not only with the challenge of supporting her family financially but also with the difficulty of liberating her brother from the manacles of bonded labour.

Pranavi had no choice but to drop out of school, in order to bring some money to the table. She was employed for plucking chilies and sifting seeds, thus earning a meagre amount of 150 rupees per day.

Her daily routine was arduous, starting with toiling under the scorching heat in the chili fields and proceeding to evenings consisting of household chores; tending after her mother’s medical needs and cooking for the family.

CASA volunteers approached Pranavi’s family to make them understand the importance of education. She along with her brother joined the Bridge Course Centre. CASA’s CLFZ programme gave the family monetary support of ten thousand rupees and also provided her mother with the opportunity of managing a vegetable cart to earn additional income.

Thus, Pranavi’s entire family has been given support in order to uplift them from their current miserable state.

Having found a life beyond the fields, Pranavi came to realise how she can use education as a tool to liberate herself from the shackles of child labour and chase her dreams.
She was also given the opportunity to streamline into regular schooling and is now preparing for her 10th standard examination.

“At school, we all sit together to have our lunch. I often notice how chillies are used as spices in the dishes cooked at school and wonder how, a year ago, it used to be me, plucking chillies for others to use.”

The field of chillies, where Pranavi spent her afternoons, plucking and working her finger to bone has now been replaced with the field of education. Now she cries tears of joy and gratitude, whereas tears of helplessness and sorrow are behind her.