It was in June this year that I joined Chennai forums after reading an article "All work and no play for these Girls" by Sangeetha Neeraja on Express Buzz. All my attempts to help those two children ended in failure. I was not one to face defeat so soon by giving up on goals I set.
On 28th Dec 2011 in Chennai this week I visited the Jaigopal Garodia Government Girls' Higher Secondary School, Choolaimedu, Chennai. I found the gate in front of the huge compound closed.
A man seated behind the gate said I could walk inside to speak to someone in the office. The school’s Head Mistress was not available but there was another lady who could help us on our mission. My specific inquiry on the two girls mentioned in the article was not possible because they were in a different class and were not available that day.
On inquiring from this lady she said most of the girls who attended this school were in the habit of working as domestic aids for various reasons and mainly due family problems facing poverty.
This lady suggested that there were two other girls present on that day that faced similar difficulties and had to work in homes starting at 5am. I asked her if I could speak to these girls in her presence to get more details before I could decide on any financial help.
Girl No1, said her parents were dead many years ago when she went to live with her grandmother. The grandmother too had died after a few years when her maternal uncle and aunt had adopted her.
That was not going to be a happy ending for this girl. Both her uncle and aunt found a hen laying the golden egg in this girl to enhance their finances. They sent this girl out to work in homes that brought three thousand Rupees a month. She faithfully handed over to her aunt all the money she made working as a domestic in several houses and after school she had to wash clothes at her aunts' house, cook and clean as well.
The people of the houses where she worked had retained certain amounts of money they said were being deposited in savings account in the girls name but the girl had no access to these accounts. Any attempts to send this girl to a hostel had failed because her uncle and aunt would not dream of this happening.
I informed this girl and the school teacher that any financial support I gave would only end up in the hands of her uncle and she never would see the colour of that money. She confirmed that this would be the case. I left the school being unable to make a decision on whether she really deserved and if she had any dire need.
My idea of giving financial help to continue her education with out working as a domestic aid miserably failed. Nevertheless I am determined to find children who really deserve to get any financial assistance in the future too.
It was in June this year that I joined Chennai forums after reading an article "All work and no play for these Girls" by Sangeetha Neeraja on Express Buzz. All my attempts to help those two children ended in failure. I was not one to face defeat so soon by giving up on goals I set.
On 28th Dec 2011 in Chennai this week I visited the Jaigopal Garodia Government Girls' Higher Secondary School, Choolaimedu, Chennai. I found the gate in front of the huge compound closed.
A man seated behind the gate said I could walk inside to speak to someone in the office. The school’s Head Mistress was not available but there was another lady who could help us on our mission. My specific inquiry on the two girls mentioned in the article was not possible because they were in a different class and were not available that day.
On inquiring from this lady she said most of the girls who attended this school were in the habit of working as domestic aids for various reasons and mainly due family problems facing poverty.
This lady suggested that there were two other girls present on that day that faced similar difficulties and had to work in homes starting at 5am. I asked her if I could speak to these girls in her presence to get more details before I could decide on any financial help.
Girl No1, said her parents were dead many years ago when she went to live with her grandmother. The grandmother too had died after a few years when her maternal uncle and aunt had adopted her.
That was not going to be a happy ending for this girl. Both her uncle and aunt found a hen laying the golden egg in this girl to enhance their finances. They sent this girl out to work in homes that brought three thousand Rupees a month. She faithfully handed over to her aunt all the money she made working as a domestic in several houses and after school she had to wash clothes at her aunts' house, cook and clean as well.
The people of the houses where she worked had retained certain amounts of money they said were being deposited in savings account in the girls name but the girl had no access to these accounts. Any attempts to send this girl to a hostel had failed because her uncle and aunt would not dream of this happening.
I informed this girl and the school teacher that any financial support I gave would only end up in the hands of her uncle and she never would see the colour of that money. She confirmed that this would be the case. I left the school being unable to make a decision on whether she really deserved and if she had any dire need.
My idea of giving financial help to continue her education with out working as a domestic aid miserably failed. Neverthelewas ss I am determined to find children who really deserve to get any financial assistance in the future too.
I stumbled into this website which may possibly be of help in channelising your efforts to support needy children: Handicareinternational
After you open the webpage, scroll down all the way to the bottom, and click on "Contact us" for the names of the people behind this organisation. Good luck.
I stumbled into this website which may possibly be of help in channelising your efforts to support needy children: Handicareinternational
After you open the webpage, scroll down all the way to the bottom, and click on "Contact us" for the names of the people behind this organisation. Good luck.
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@Ramani,
Thank you for your concern. I have seen this and many other similar websites. Most of them want donations on a regular basis and are not willing to give any information where the money goes. I could send money to any one of them.
I have donated monies before and never came to know who exactly benefitted by that money. These websites are of full photographs of disabled, poor and sick children. I could have taken pictures of such children on many of my visits to Tamil Nadu.
That certainly does not serve the purpose nor does it help solve the problem of children who work as domestic aids to fund their education. Including “All work and no play for these two Girls” many stories nave appeared in newspapers countless times.
However those people who run those charitable organizations don’t seem to read them. So the misery of those two girls must continue until someone like me knocks at their door offering them direct financial help to continue to finish their education to manage their life later on.
I will visit this school again in the near future and again as and when necessary to help someone whose progress I could watch grow and keep in touch and give purpose to my future visits to Chennai.
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Originally Posted by rajpriya 
