Project helps rehabilitation of child ragpickers

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Thanks to the “night shelter project” started by the Chennai Corporation in 2009 near the Kodungaiyur dump yard, many child ragpickers had been rehabilitated.

In fact, many of them have taken up the mission to find underage workers in their neighbourhood and bring them back to school.

One among the rehabilitated children, S. Anand (12) was invited by the Appalachian University in the US to share his experiences last month. “My brother Surya and I were born and brought up in the dump yard locality.

It was our world. The huge mounds of waste looked like a treasure trove for poor children like us. When the night shelter was started, we were asked to stay there. We were given free bridge courses to pick up our studies.

Initially, many of us went back to the dump yard. But we were encouraged to study, though our scores were low,” said Anand.

Along with Anand, more than 20 children from Kodungaiyur, and from the platforms of Egmore and Central station were rehabilitated in the shelter. They were enrolled in bridge schools and later to regular schools.

The amount of love given to the children by Ms R. Isabel, executive secretary of Madras Christian Council of Social Service (MCCSS), authorised by the Union government, and her team members, boosted the children to perform well in their studies and extracurricular activities.

The night shelter project ended in early 2012 for unknown reasons and unfortunately the children, now residing at the MCCSS premises, have gone back to working.