Most children associate sand with fun with on the beach or happy times in the sandpit. But for Basanta, age 12, and his younger brother Karma, sand is part of a gruelling day’s work.
Despite his young age, Basanta is a sand miner - which means he spends his days shovelling and filtering sand so it can be used for building materials. It’s dusty, sweaty, back-breaking work – and can be extremely dangerous too. Recently, a mother and child were killed when a makeshift mine collapsed.
Basanta and his brother are just two of the estimated 215 million children around the world who have to work to make ends meet. Without the extra cash he brings in, his family simply could not afford to eat. Unfortunately, they still don’t have enough money to pay for Basanta to go to school.
But thanks to the help of the Child Welfare Scheme, which is funded by Comic Relief, things are starting to change for Basanta. The project has provided him and his brother with a dedicated social worker who makes sure they know how to keep safe at work. She’s also supporting their mother to cut down on the children’s working hours, so they can get a vital education as well as having time out just to play. Basanta is now working less and studying more, giving him the chance to turn his life around so he can look forward to a much brighter and more secure future.
“Before, I used to work all day; now I have time to rest and learn.”