Ranjith’s Journey From Child Labourer To School Goer

Ranjith and his family were MICA scrap collectors and lived off the earnings from the trade. There were no alternatives to the mica trade in terms of employment opportunities in their village in Jharkhand which meant that when Ranjith and his family did not find mica scraps, there was no money to buy food for the day. Ranjith's family felt that there was no point in education, so he had never been to school

Around the same time, CRY began a children’s group in the village and conducted regular meetings. Ranjit happened to attend one of the meetings. As soon as the team heard about his family’s condition, they were determined to do something to help the boy. After participating in monthly meetings and activities for some time, the team introduced Ranjith to the remedial classes that help children who are first generation school goers to keep up with what is being taught at school. These classes cater to children already in school who need support and also children who have either dropped out or have never been enrolled in school. This interested his parents as they could finally educate their son without having to worry about being able to afford it. Ranjith enjoyed each day at the remedial classes and this brought a lot of change to his life.

Ranjith is a happy child today, with hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow. He is enrolled in the 2nd standard and is performing well in his school. He and his family are happy about his progress and show immense gratitude to the team members who gave their little boy a childhood he rightfully deserved!