AARAMBH
THE PROBLEM
Numerous children in Navi Mumbai (New Bombay, a satellite township to
Bombay) grow up under some of the most difficult living conditions in the
world. The children are typically from the poor and under-privileged
communities of India who have come to these urban areas to find means for
survival. Most often the parents find work and live on construction sites or
they work as rag pickers earning Rs. (Indian Rupees) 50 to Rs.60
(approximately US$ 1.00 to US$ 1.50) per day. But this work is not regular
and continuous. These families live in temporary, shanty dwellings along
road-sides and on government land. The areas where they live have no
sanitation or drinking water facilities.
During AARAMBH’s 10-year association with these under-
privileged communities, we have identified the following
major problems in these areas:
- Sickness among children and poverty of parents force
thousands of children to drop out of school even before they
are 10 years old
- Several hundred children are forced to work 10 to 12 hours
a day to support their families
- Diseases such as Tuberculosis, Malaria, Anemia, etc. are very
common among the families
- Women and young girls face harassment and abuse at home
and in the community
- Girls as young as 14 years old are forced into marriage due
to social and cultural pressures
