Success story on Child Labour Education

2007-12-28T11:34:40Z

This is Syamala Veeramma, a koya tribal girl, hailing from Veerapuram of Chintoor Mandal, Khammam District, Andhra Pradesh, speaking to you proudly of her success story. She was a child labourer and never went to school till the age of 13. She ran away from home and reached the child labour bridge camp at LITDS, Katukapalli. The life changed there after. She speaks to us. Let us listen to her.

Success Story on Childlabour Education-LITDS-Katukapalli-Khammam Dt. Andhra Pradesh

These days I wake up suddenly during sleep with the thought that I am a trained ANM nurse. Is it a dream or a reality? I am unable to believe myself. My eyes are filled with tears in disbelief. This has often been my experience in sleep.

I walk down the memory lane of my life. I remember the day when I ran away from my aunt's home and reached LITDS, Katukapalli. It was in June 2002. I was thirteen years old then. I now ask myself how I did that! From where did I get the courage to run away from the clutches of my aunt! Oh, you will be wondering why I talk about my aunt and not my mother! It is a pathetic story. My father, a non-tribe, married my mother. I was born but never saw my father. Before my birth he ran away with another woman. Till today I do not know who my father is. And my mother too ran away with another man leaving me in her sister's home. I grew with out parents and learned to work at my aunt's home, then to graze her cattle, and later to become a permanent tractor coolie worker. I never entered a school! But I would see my aunt's daughter going to school well dressed while I proceeded to graze cattle. Leaving the cattle in the forest, I would dream of going to school, playing, dancing, and singing. It always remained a dream for thirteen years, thirteen long years.

Now I am an ANM nurse! Is it a dream or a reality? What happened in five years time?
Once I reached LITDS, Katukapalli, something told me that I was in very safe hands. That was my first gut level feeling. I forgot about myself and completely handed over myself to my teachers. Three years ran very fast as a world champion would complete his 100 m dash. I completed my VII and X standard public examinations. Of course I passed in third class. But I was proud that I did it in my first attempt. I still remember the moment when Fr. Peter Daniel handed me the tenth standard memo. I received it, yes, of course, amidst my tear filled eyes, yet I know they were bright, joyful and hopeful. I kissed the memo and hugged it to my breasts like a world champion would hug his world cup. I had no bounds to express my joy. Yet, along with this joy a question cropped into my mind, what next?

That landed me in Narasaropet, 285 kilometers from my village. The longest travel that I ever made in my life in a bus! A new land, new types of people, no forest, but buildings, buildings, and buildings every where! That was another challenge! A new surrounding, new culture, a new study! A study on human beings, rather their well beings! I wanted to do nursing because I love that work. I want to take care of the sick. I have seen our sisters in LITDS taking care of the sick with love and care. I already started to dream of doing the same to our tribes. This was the motivating force which stood behind me for eighteen months. The classes that I attended, the hospitals that I visited, the villages that I lived in during my experiments and survey, were attractive and interesting! But not with out pain and struggle! Oh, I remember the practical exams that I did in front of two doctors! My heart was pounding very fast and I prayed to God saying that I had only five years of schooling and so he should be kind enough to me! Well, all went on well, because I began very well five years back. Now I am an ANM nurse!

What next! I want to work in a big hospital to gain experience and come back to my forest by next June to serve my tribes. That is my dream now! I will fulfill it because I have walked a long way already!

Thank you for listening to me. I hope by reading my life story many more children who labour, will be motivated to study and become the persons they want to be. For I truly believe, “what I am, is God's gift to me and what I become is my gift to God”.

With love
Syamala Veeramma.

The visit of Flora and Francisco in France

2006-05-16T18:05:26Z

Several international charities from Angers and Le Mans, all of them partners of CODER in Cinco Pinos (Nicaragua), have invited Flora and Francisco to spend 2 weeks in France
Here is a selection of the happy moments they spent :
They arrived in Vendée on Tuesday sept. 27th... the sun was shining !
They had 2 special moments :
In the morning they went to the College Sainte Marie in Aizenay, which has been involved in exchanges with young students from Cinco Pinos for a few years. The discussion was in Spanish. Francisco became a teacher for a few hours and used the backboard and the chalks. Flora was a bit tired and mostly talked about the school and the activities of the youth.
They spent the afternoon in Poiré-sur-Vie's library. We must remind that the library created by CODER in Cinco Pinos has a major role. 20 to 25 volunteers alternatively come to help Yasmina, who works full-time and gets a salary. There are about 1000 to 1500 books and magazines. Even if Nicaraguan villagers are not used to read, this project exists because people are working together. Young people from Cinco Pinos go to the library also to do their homework in a quiet place. Yasmina created a mobile library that goes to classes 3 times a month. Something important is the club called "Reading to grow up" created by the youth in 2003. It gives to young people the opportunity to experiment drama. In the plays they write, they present some of the problems they and their community encounter in everyday life. They can also practise dancing, handicraft and write a newspaper that Flora and Francisco promised to send us.

Then they spend some time in Anjou.
29/09/05 Visit of ITEPMAI (Institute of Medicinal Plants) in Chemillé. Flora and Francisco were interested but in the meantime aware of the difference between the situation here and in their country.
30/09/05 :
Visit of the Garden of the Pharmacy Faculty in Angers and then meeting with the AVDI (French Farmers in favour of International Development). They met Bertrand Métayer, Louis-Marie Rivière and André Chabot, President of CASI 49. The exchanges they had were very interesting and complementary, thanks to Africa and Latin-American different visions. In the evening, they met Jean-Jacques Bérel. They presented the actions and the projects of CODER with a CD Rom. Finally, there was a dinner with traditional music from a folk group. Our Nicaraguan friends enjoyed dancing. We had a happy moment !
01/10/05
Presentation of CODER in Saint Pierre School : Flora and Francisco were surprised to hear relevant questions coming from so young children.
A short visit was made to Chantal Gourdon's family in Toutlemonde "It's really important" said Flora "as it is the earth that keeps your umbilical cord"
Francisco even helped a goat having her 2 kids !
Then they spent the evening with the organization Bécon Solidarité.
02/10/05
Morning : working meeting of DEMAINS and CODER about the new projects to support.
03/10/05
Visit of an organic garden market. Francisco was delighted to see all these vegetables and took many seeds to experiment in Nicaragua. Then we went to the market of Doué-la-Fontaine where we could see products from the farm.

Our organisation in 2005

First of all, there has been a great mobilisation for the tsunami victims as we could collect 12 000 euro !
The French Ski School of Combloux decided to give part of the profits they make by selling badges. They collected 3991 euros.
On February 20th, the "Club des P'tits Loups" of Cressat( 49) gave a performance, with a play adapted from a tale by Grimm, "The Frog-King", and dances by the folk group " Jean do Bouex". They collected 500 euros.
In July, we received a grant from the "Fondation de France" : 7000 euros this year and 8000 euros in the next 2 years for the tsunami victims.

Thank you to all these donors !

We were sorry to hear that sister Christiane had left us at the beginning of 2005. We admired her work with poor children in Sri-Lanka.

Following a violent hurricane in Andra Pradesh, our partner of LITDS, Peter Daniel, asked us for help. We decided to give 7000 euros as we had the money and no other project was completed.

On February 4th, 120 people met to watch the diaporama called
" The African Odyssey of Paule and Arthur, a 14-month bike-riding in Africa "

The profit made at this occasion was of 900 euros and was given to Indian tribes of Katukapalli (to buy buffaloes).

Once again, the Angevine Team organized a night with storytellers on 22nd May.
We invited the Storytellers of the Jabotée.
32 enjoyed the humour and the solemnity of these friendly people !
A profit of 165 euros was made.

Demains

Success story on Child Labour Education

The visit of Flora and Francisco in France

Our organisation in 2005