Help Adwait Rescue 300+ Children From A Life Of Waste Picking

Subst@nce abuse, violence and poverty - The life of a child waste-pickers 

In the slums of Jalgaon, Maharashtra, several communities of waste-pickers live in poor, unhygienic conditions. Following their footsteps, their children wake up at 4:30 every morning, drink a cup of tea, and head out to the waste dumping grounds. They poke and prod garbage piles till 12:30 pm. When they head back home, if they’re lucky, they get to eat their first meal of the day. If not, they drop their collection and set out to explore the streets of Jalgaon. 

During all this time they spend unmonitored, they’re exposed to violence and substances. 5 years or 15, this is the story of every child in these settlements.

Adwait and Pranali, a selfless couple, became their only ray of hope 

Adwait and Pranali dreamt of a day when these children would go to school instead of the dumping grounds. In 2014, this dream gave birth to Vardhishnu, an NGO that works towards providing a safe, secure and a happy childhood to child waste-pickers aged 5-15. Establishing 5 learning centers across Jalgaon, they set to work immediately. And today, they hold the credit of enrolling 750+ children in schools and turning their lives around.

“Our learning centers, called Anandghar, operate 5 days a week, for 2.5 hours each day. Apart from teaching them Marathi and other subjects, we teach them life skills, and work on their hygiene, health and physical wellbeing. We get them ready for school and ensure they are on par with the students there.” - Pranali, co-founder, Vardhishnu

How Pranali and Adwait’s Anandghar impacts these children

The community learning spaces became a place where they were loved and respected. And the children began calling it the “Anandghar” - which is now the official name for all centers. Currently, Vardhishnu has 300+ students under its wing. Every day, in addition to life-changing lessons, these children receive stationery supplies needed for activities, and a healthy snack to compensate for their undernourishment. 

“A child once walked up to me and said ‘how much nicer my life would have been, if you were my parents’. And I knew then that we were exactly where we are supposed to be.” - Adwait, founder, Vardhishnu

With your support, they can continue their noble mission

For over 10 years, the couple has worked tirelessly to break the generational chain of waste-picking, and showing the parents how different their children’s life can be if they picked up books instead of bottles and wires. But now, owing to their financial limitations, their mission is at risk. You can help them.

“We need your help to continue providing them with stationery, healthy snacks and basic groceries every day. The cost is too much for us to bear, and the mission, too close to our hearts to give up. Together we can give these children a better life.” - Adwait.