Project
India: From the factory to the school desk
After many years of child labor, in this project we offer children in India a safe environment to catch their breath. A child at the Bridge School can be a real child again. At the same time, life skills are being worked on to rediscover the power within yourself. Empowering to believe in yourself, to go to school and stay far from the factories.
We offer a bridging year to prepare ex-child workers for regular education.
The enormous growth of the textile industry in India has resulted in the massive deployment of cheap workers for years. Not only in the textile factories, but also in spinning mills, weaving mills, the residual textile industry and all other parties within the textile chain. Due to the ever-increasing demand for cheap labour, it is mainly migrants from other parts of India who are recruited to do the dirty work. In the hope of a better life, parents emigrate to the city together with their children. Children who have hardly had any education and who do not speak the local language. They are actually forced to live an adult's life. Working long hours in harsh conditions, with a responsibility to bring in money. In the large textile city of Tirupur, the SAVE organization is working with this vulnerable group of children towards a better future, both socially and economically.
They work together with a network of women's groups in the surrounding villages to help children escape the textile entrepreneurs who are solely focused on money and production. If the children have been successfully removed from their working environment, SAVE will take them in and train them in the Bridge Schools.
Why this project partner
With SAVE we are in good company. From a national and international point of view, SAVE is the partner when it comes to child labor and fair wages. They tackle the problem where it begins and, with the support of the government, enter into dialogue with the factory owners. With a continuous focus on changing the mindset they achieve great results. In addition to funding, Net4kids is a sparring partner for SAVE in the field of the development and organization of training courses for the textile industry, with the best job prospects.
How your company can contribute to this project
Child labor perpetuates poverty. Fighting it offers sustainable development and better opportunities for all. The business community can immediately make a difference by not only taking a critical look at child labor in its own production chains, but also by investing in education. In opportunities for the next generation. So that with a diploma and a fair wage they really get a better life. We believe that a world without child labor is possible. If the business community stands up and collaborates with organizations such as SAVE, we can really bring about structural change.
