Case Studies

As part of the external review of Shaishav in 2004, some of the children who have been with us for a long time were interviewed. Here are some of them:

SONAL

This friendly confident girl is 15. Her father is a diamond cutter, her mother works at home and occasionally as a casual labourer. The family lives in Mafatnagar in Kumbharwada,  the largest slum in Bhavnagar. Sonal is the eldest of five sisters. Her father was operated for kidney stones and is unable to work too much.  Sonal has worked in plastic rope-making, in diamond cutting and making snacks to sell.

Sonal has been a regular at Tingatoli, the Community Education Centre at Mafatnagar since she was in 2nd Standard. She enthusiastically participates in any dance, drama and creative activities, takes on responsibilities and uses initiative. After 6th Standard, Sonal left school and started working. She satisfies her desire to study and learn by still regularly coming to the CEC. She wants to ensure that her younger sisters get an opportunity to study. Sonal says, “I learnt so many things at the CEC. In school, I could not read or write. Shaishav taught me both. I learnt drama, songs, things I had never done before.”

In 2003 Sonal participated in the National Convention of Girl Child Labourers organised by Campaign Against Child Labour in Mysore. She spoke about the difficulties of plastic rope making and child labour before a jury. She was then part of a delegation of four girls who met the President of India to report on the verdict of the Convention. Just a few months before these events, Sonal had left school. As soon as she returned to Bhavnagar, she went back to plastic rope making, the work she was then doing. Nothing happened even after talking to the President.

Months later, in January 2004, when the President happened to be visiting Bhavnagar and a local newspaper wrote about Sonal, labour department officials from Gandhinagar rushed to Bhavnagar. This resulted in raids and legal cases on plastic recycling workshops: child labour in this sector dropped immediately. 

In January 2005, Sonal was selected as one of four children to represent Child Rights at the World Social Forum in Brazil.  Sonal continues to work and her story exemplifies the complexity of the problem: How much children can benefit from education and opportunities to develop but how larger socio-economic forces continue to alter their lives.

SAJANA

Sajana Makwana is 13. Her father is a diamond cutter. Her mother works at home and makes flour for an additional family income. The family lives in Mafatnagar in Kumbharwada. Sajana is the eldest of four siblings. She had never been to school until a member of Shaishav's team identified her, after which she was coached and directly enrolled in 4th Standard.

Sajana is a regular at Tingatoli, the local Community Education Centre and is one of the leaders at the centre's Balsena team. She is friendly, confident, interested in dance and acting, participates in many activities in school and has won awards in elocution competitions.

When she completed 6th Standard, her parents sent her to work and would not allow her to study further. The Shaishav team persisted until she returned to school. However, she has presently returned to the diamond trade, even though she has a strong desire to study further.

SOHIL

Sohil Sheikh is 17. His father is a construction worker, his mother works at home and at times as a casual labourer. The family lives in Mafatnagar, Kumbharwada. Sohil has been attending Tingatoli since it started. He tells that: "I came across the centre in 1995 and I thought it would be like school. But this was very different . They used games, science experiments, and a lot of interesting material, which I was attracted to. I learnt a lot at the centre and have stayed on in school."

With the support and motivation of the Shaishav team, Sohil studied hard until 7th Standard. Despite his whish to continue studying, he had to start working making plastic cloth. Shaishav encouraged him to study further and enrolled him in a high school. He failed in 10th Standard and returned to work. Then Shaishav gave him computer and office training and organised tuitions for him so he could reappear directly for the 10th Standard exam. He passed and is now studying commerce in 11th Standard.  He continues to work occasionally in a bakery and with plastic rope making.

Sohil is intensely curious about learning new things and uses a lot of initiative. He has strong leadership qualities and interpersonal skills. He attended celebrations organised by Shaishav's founding partner Terre Des Hommes in Delhi, together with other members of the Shaishav team. He now supports the recently formed youth collective Tarunsena and the vocational skills programme Shaishav is undertaking.

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