In India, an informal “transit school” prepares children for daily school as they transition from a life of labour to learning.

Rizwana works hard to support her family of three. She spends her days scrubbing, cleaning, and polishing at two nearby homes to keep food on the table and make sure Shifa, 9, stays in school and has a bright future. Her income, a meager ₹1500/- a month, is the only income for her family. 

Carrying the weight of adult responsibilities 

There is nothing wrong with honest income and hard work. The problem is that Rizwana is only 12. She is a child carrying the weight of an adult’s responsibilities on her small shoulders.  

“I cannot attend regular school because of so many responsibilities,” she says. 

After her mother died and her father abandoned her and her sister, Rizwana was forced to drop out of school and take on the role of an adult. 

Thankfully, their grandmother, Bano, 69, provides the girls with a place to live. But the elderly woman has neither the income nor the energy to support their ongoing needs. 

Transit school prepares working children for regular school 

Rizwana is not alone. Many children in this community face similar circumstances. Boys often work as rag-pickers or help loading goods. 

In 2010, World Vision India set up a transit school in Rizwana’s community to help children in similar situations. These informal education centres helped children who had never attended school or had dropped out, preparing them to return to regular classes. 

Not only did World Vision India support the classes, but it also reached out to adults in the community like Rizwana’s grandmother who often did not see the need for education, especially when faced with the daunting task of daily survival. 

When World Vision India volunteers first approached Bano about her granddaughter’s desire to attend the classes, she was skeptical. 

“If she goes to study, who will go to work?” she asked. “How will we run the family?” 

A change in mindset 

Eventually, Bano saw the value in sending Shifa to school. By then, Rizwana was taking her younger sister to the transit center every day on her way to work. 

“I will send my younger sister to school and educate her to a higher standard. I will do everything for her bright future,” she said. 

Rizwana attended classes off and on and learned to read basic Hindi and some English words. She still dreamed of returning to regular school. 

Labels: #ChildLabour #Domesticchildlabour #Domesticlabour #featurestory #girlsILOinjustice #justice #orphanresponsibilities #transitschool #WDACL #Worlddayagainstchildlabour #WorldVisionIndia