Sunbeam Trust, Mumbai : Monthly Activities Report for April 2007
GLIMPSES INTO THE LIVES OF OUR CHILDREN
Given below are details of the challenges faced by each category of beneficiaries (with their families) that Sunbeam reaches out to. Despite their struggle for survival, they work very hard and continue with their studies.
I. Children living at Construction Sites
1. Depending on the duration of construction activity, the children have to move along with the families from one site to another at times even during the same academic year.
2. A construction laborers work is often taken on a temporary basis. Moreover, if the particular job being handled by the worker is completed (even though the rest of the construction work continues), he has to move out and find a similar assignment elsewhere.
3. A laborer may not find suitable work at all times. Hence, he may remain unemployed for fairly long durations.
4. The modest dwellings are make-shift arrangements and are often demolished when the entire family has to move from one location to another, even in the same construction complex.
5. If the laborers are not provided separate accommodation and have to stay in the same building that is under construction, then they are also exposed to unfinished construction work that can prove to be dangerous and a risk to their lives.
6. Once a particular assignment is completed and the building contractor is not in a position to take the entire workforce with him to the new site, the laborer has no option but to shift back to the village till such time that he knows of another project where he is able to find alternate employment commensurate with the skills he has to offer.
Sources of Parents Income
Laborers Rs.70/- per day
Supervisors Rs.200/- per day
Electricians/Masons/Plumbers Rs.150/- per day
II. Children living in slums
1. On an average, a room in the slum is 6x 8 and that room is inhabited by the parents, children, and sometimes even grandparents. There could be a total of around 5-6 persons in the small room.
2. Given the size of the room, there is little or no privacy and the children are adversely affected.
3. Very often, the hutments are demolished by the local authorities without assigning any reasons.
4. Hutments situated in a row and close to each other are accident prone e.g. a fire in one hutment can quickly strike another and move down the line, swiftly setting ablaze the rest of the dwellings as well.
5. During the monsoons, the huts get flooded and this adds on to the already existing problems arising due to limited space. During the summer, poor ventilation makes the heat even more oppressive
6. Basic sanitation facilities are often lacking, giving rise to unhygienic conditions that pose serious health hazards.
Parents Sources of Income
An approx. 10% of slum dwellers live in rented space. Their monthly income is around Rs.3,000
Rs.4,000 and p.m. and they often end up paying anything between Rs.500 Rs.800 towards monthly
rent. They work as street hawkers, auto drivers (for hired autos), security guards, salesmen and domestic
workers.
III. Street children
1. These children live on the streets with their families, having no shelter whatsoever except plastic sheets for protection during the monsoons.
2. The surrounding area where they live is fairly unhygienic, considering the fact that they live on the streets without any facilities for cooking, washing, bathing, etc.
3. During the monsoons, more often than not, the families have to shift to the villages because they have no means of safeguarding themselves against the harsh weather on the streets. Meanwhile, the childrens names get struck off from the formal schools and we have to request the school authorities to re-admit the children in the schools.
4. The meager belongings are frequently taken away by the authorities and the children have to pay in order to retrieve their possessions.
5. Living on the streets is dangerous, given the fact that there is a steady stream of vehicles passing by continuously.
6. Noise levels pose serious distractions that prevent the child from focusing on his studies. Apart from street lamps, the child does not have any other source of light on the pavements. Hence, it becomes difficult for him to concentrate, especially during exams.
Parents Sources of Income
· During festival season, the parents earn their livelihood by weaving and selling flowers
· Selling diyas or other small items on the streets
· Tar work during monsoons
IV. Children living in the crematorium premises
1. At Sunbeam, we have 19 children who live with their families in small rooms of 4x8 within the precincts of the crematorium itself.
2. They have common toilet/bathing facilities and water is obtained from a nearby well in the compound.
3. These children are exposed to corpses on a daily basis, whether they are brought to the crematorium for burial or for being cremated. Children by nature are mentally and emotionally fragile and the entire process of the bodies being consigned for the last funeral rites can be very distressing for them.
Sources of Parents Income
The parents work in the crematorium itself tending to the surrounding garden, providing and arranging for wood for the last rituals and selling flowers or rose water. Some of the male members serve as security guards in the crematorium.
The parents income is approximately between Rs.2,500/- to Rs.3,000/-
V. Children living in passages in chawl buildings
1. A total of 26 Sunbeam beneficiaries live with their families in miniscule passages usually measuring 4x8 in chawl buildings that mostly house office premises. These tiny plots can be located just outside the offices or in the space available below the staircase.
2. Normally, there are 4 5 people living in these tiny corridors that serve as homes for the inmates. The families have bare minimum belongings that are huddled together in a small cupboard in one corner of the passage. Cooking is also managed within the same area. Common toilets and bathing facilities are available in the buildings, but the children and their families have access to these services only before and after office hours.
3. Since office timings are normally between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (sometimes even later), the families have to complete all their household duties in the mornings and leave the premises well before the offices begin. They can return only after office hours and very often that could mean late evenings. It is mandatory for the family to remain away during the day. The parents are at work and the kids attend school and Sunbeam classes. In case of an illness too, they cannot afford the luxury of returning home to rest during the day.
Sources of Parents Income
The family income is usually around Rs.3,000/- per month. Most of the parents (male members) are small time salesmen, selling products such as pens, battery cells, agarbattis, and other similar commodities. The women usually work as domestic helpers in the neighborhood buildings.
VI. Children living in the chawl buildings of Mumbai
1. More than 35 % of our total beneficiaries live in the BDD chawls at Worli or chawls in Marine Lines. These rooms are approx. 10 ft by 12 ft. and accommodates about 8 to 10 members because these happen to be joint families.
2. The above space is bare minimal and comprises of a self contained bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and hall. Its most inconvenient for children to study in that cramped place while the other family members are hooked on to the television.
3. Here again there is no privacy for the children. Parents are too busy making two ends meet to spare time to take care of their emotional / educational needs.
Sources of Parents Income
The male members work in small private companies / garment companies in the vicinity as temporary workers, peons and watchmen. The family income is approx. Rs.4,000/- to Rs.5,000/- per month (in a family of 6 to 9 members). The women usually work as domestic helpers in the neighborhood buildings or earn by doing beed work at their homes.
Email – sunbeamtrust@hotmail.com