It's been six months since I came to Yashodhara and the experience is always renewed. Only when you consider that something is unusual does the mind leave its stingy side. Perhaps what led me to come here was the hunger of seeing clearly.
Among other tasks, you could say I've become a guardian or caretaker of the children, which to me is an occasional pleasure and to them may be sometimes a nuisance. Perhaps the lack of understanding of their language or the world of children is a constant challenge to consciousness. But I see clearly that the mistake is to judge kids with the scale of adults, forgetting that a child is fast and mobile as a stream and any impurities need not cause great alarm, because the speed of current is in itself the best corrective action. Therefore, it is the caregiver or guardian who must avoid behaving incorrectly.
So stay I tuned to listen, sewing pockets, since a child has yet to be born who is so poor that there is nothing to fill his pockets with. Watching the streams of their likes, dislikes and desires. Becoming aware of how I am receiving a sensory education without fully understanding each step. He who dwells on the surface does not always know what happens in the recesses of consciousness.
Gratefully,
Eshana Alcover – live-in Volunteer at Yashodhara Shelter
According to Manish Shroff, Director of 
With lacunae in the CLPRA, the only way to counter child labor is to focus on the newly-passed Right to Education Act, says Ingrid Mendonca, founder-member of Action for Rights of the Child (ARC). The umbrella organization, comprising 30 NGOs that work for child rights, has started a drive since May-end to get as many children as possible, especially belonging to the migrant community, admitted into municipal schools.
By promoting sericulture, the World Bank intends to create jobs, lessen poverty and help disadvantaged groups. But by failing to control or restrict the use of child labor, the overall effect is promoting an industry that relies on child slavery in all steps of the production processes. In the State of Karnataka alone, there are some 100,000 child slaves.
Moreover, many silk weavers are crammed into dark, wet and airless rooms. These conditions favor the spread of diseases among child workers. In a 1985 study, the Gandhian Institute of Varanasi identified tuberculosis as "the occupational disease of the weaver community." Employers do not provide medical care or first aid to workers who have an accident, and whoever cannot work one day does not get paid.
Vishal has blended in easily and has been well received by the children, who always welcome new family members with consideration and care. He spends the day singing and playing. He says he is very happy to be here and to have so many new friends. He loves his room and is excited about all the features of the Shelter: the bikes, the library and the study room, a big open space to play in...
Contrasting dramatically with his joy is his ‘life story'. His father, an alcoholic with a long criminal record and currently in jail, tried to burn Vishal’s mother alive. She suffers from mental disorders, attempted suicide twice, and her whereabouts are now unknown. It is Vishal’s grandmother who has taken care of him so far, but their financial difficulties are great and food is often in short supply at home.
Child labor not only prevents children from acquiring the skills and education they need to have a better future, it also perpetuates poverty and affects national economies through losses in competitiveness, productivity and potential income. Withdrawing children from the clutches of child labor, providing them with education and assisting their families with training and employment opportunities contribute directly to creating decent job opportunities for adults.
It may sound very pleasant, but reality is something else. One can easily see children engaged in roadside dhabas, tea stalls, rag-picking and other 'unhealthy' jobs. They do not go to school for one reason or another. "The claim of officials itself contradicts the fact that the school drop-out rate in Uttar Pradesh is about 25-30%," said Rajni Kant, state convener of Campaign against Child Labour (CACL). "To date, the maximum number of child labourers (about one million), are in Uttar Pradesh" he said and added that given this situation, how could anyone claim that all children were brought under the umbrella of the RTE Act?
The children talked about the importance of education and of being heard. It was very moving to see their vitality and how aware they were of the responsibility they had to keep working and fighting for their country’s children. Some were too young to realize the scope of their actions, but older children were worth watching and listening to - a lesson for adults, educators and companions, whose task was to act as a bridge between the different languages spoken there - Hindi, English, Kannada and Marathi - and to support, listen and respect the children. 
On the last day, groups were formed to decide where the next edition and its contents would be. The children representing 
During the three day event, participation was strong and the organizers took care of all the details to make the children and their companions feel welcome. The organizers planned a short trip so that those coming from outside Mumbai could get to know the city. Inside the bus, singing songs in all languages, they traveled through the center of town, which they loved. At the end of the event, the children were very grateful to have shared their experiences and made many new friends. Of course they want to do it again!