Children - Terre des Hommes

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Table 2.02: Survey on children not attending school in Sandur
Sl. No. Description Boys Girls Total
1 Total children 3,876 3,659 7,535
2 Regular school-going children 3,187 3,045 6,232
3 Age wise
4 School drop-out children 689 614 1,303
5 Nature of work
Source: Data collected by local organisation READS, Bellary, May 2009
Thimmalapura is a small village of 20 SC and ST families in
Sandur taluk. All families are migrants who have been living
here for the last 4 years. In Thimmalapura camp school there
were 40 children out of which 13 children were reported to be
malnourished, by the teachers. The rest appear to be equally
malnourished and anaemic. The survey done by READS
shows that 39 children have dropped out of the primary
school, which is located 4 km away from here in Metriki
village. The tent school teacher said that the children suffer
constantly from malaria, jaundice, cough and fevers, and they
come to school with skin infections and rashes. The auxiliary
nurse cum midwife (ANM) was said to visit them once a
month for health check-up. The older boys from here work as
truck drivers and cleaners as NMDC and Obulapuram mines
are very close to this area.
was extremely poor and looked as if cooking a meal here
would lead to food poisoning or ill-health of the children. The
anganwadi has a toilet that cannot be used. The sewage water
drains in front of the school serving as a breeding ground for
mosquitoes. Some youth were found to be gambling with the
money they just earned from the mining trucks, right outside
the anganwadi with the anganwadi children peering over them
with curiosity. The children reported that the only frequent
visitor to the anganwadi is a snake that comes through the
crack in the walls. The whole atmosphere reflected how the life
of the children in the mining area was insecure and unhealthy,
both physically and socially.
Anganwadis
Very few mine workers’ colonies have access to anganwadis.
Where they exist, the infrastructure and facilities are far from
satisfactory to cater to the needs of the children below 6 years.
For example, in Rajapura there are 118 children in the age
group of 1–6 years. Of the 40–42 children who attend the
anganwadi, the records showed that 15 children suffer from
Grade I malnourishment and 25 children are in Grade II
level. The sanitation of the anganwadi including the kitchen
A group of youth ambling in front of the anganwadi with children as
audience, at Rajapura in Sandur (Photo December 2009)