Family Background

Mohammad Waris was born in Ward Street into an economically resource poor family. His parents are from Kolkata. In the slums of 64 Broad street they ( Waris along with his mother, father, one younger and one older sister, his other two elder sisters are married) live in a one room rented accomodation which serves as their living room cum bedroom cum kitchen. Battling poverty and hardship, his father drives a van riskshaw (to carry goods) and his mother works as a domestic worker in people’s houses. Waris works in a cap manufacturing factory where his hands moves at lightning speed with the scissor cutting the outer bands for summer caps. He cuts an average of 300 pieces daily during high order season.

Core challenges and hardships faced by the child 

Waris’ hands move at lightning speed with the scissor cutting the outer bands for summer caps. He cuts an average of 300 pieces daily during high order season earning a meagre weekly income of Rs 300/-. To supplement the meager family income, Waris had to drop out of school and start earning at an early age. After seven years in this job he is almost a master cutter, talking to us and cutting at the same time like any seasoned adult worker.
In the year 2016, a Community Child Health and Hygiene club was formed in 64 Broad street as part of the Stop Diarrhoea Initiative where he was one of the members. Since then Save the Children has been engaged with him through varied means ranging from working together to make his surrounding community open defecation free through ODF tool kit, organising theatre workshops with children on issues of safe drinking water, presenting the play”Jalkatha” to the audiences during the observation of World Water Day in March 2016 or performing skit on Girls safety ” Akhir Kyun”at Indian Institute of Management Calcutta as part of the change maker series. Waris has been in an active member in all these engagements.
Waris used to listen into the discussions in the mothers group meeting of DAS. His mother was a member of this group. It was through these meetings that he got to know about DAS and their work in the community. He also got an opportunity to attend the Save the Children CRC programme at MohorKunj in 2016in Kolkata. It was in this meeting that he developed an interest in theatre. During the CRC programme a play was presented by children where one of the participants was Waris’s sister’s friend. Waris and his sister had attended the programme. It was after watching the play that Waris realised that he liked the play and the acting by the children. So when he got to know that DAS was putting together a children’s group for training them on theatre, he voluntarily enrolled into the effort.

What has the child achieved despite the challenges and how?

‘Hum teen baje se khade rehete hain aur chaar baje ke baad pani milta hain’ (‘I wait from 3 o clock but I get water only after 4 o clock’). This is the one dialogue that Waris has to speak as part of his role in the play. He feels that this dialogue epitomises the entire water shortage problem in his community. Theatre has helped him with gaining new information and knowledge related to understanding water related problems in his area – lack of public hygiene, problem of sewage, lack of clean drinking water, diseases such as diaorrhea and dengue. He feels that the message of the play that community will take ownership about keeping their area clean.
One of the major challenges for the theatre group is ensuring that children attend practice regularly. For Waris and many others like him who work during the day, it is challenging to be regular for practice since he gets very little time off from work. Despite this, Waris tries to attend the practice sessions since he likes acting.

How has Save the Children contributed to the betterment of the child?

Save the Children’s effort through DAS in bringing children together and engaging them in meaningful ways such as theatre to raise awareness on social issues is a novel effort. The theatre group is new and currently in practice and has not conducted any public performance. Therefore their current experience is of teambuilding, understanding acting and its various aspects.
In addition Waris’s experience clearly shows that long term engagement with mothers does have a positive impact on children who are exposed to various community issues at an early. Waris was knowledgeable about NGOs (DAS) presence and their work at an early age since he used to attend the mothers group meeting with his mother.

What are the child’s thoughts about his/her future

‘When I am older, I will leave this job and get a better paying job. Later I will start my own business and save more and take care of my parents’.
Waris is hopeful that his life will change for the better in the future and his economic situation will improve in future. He is confident that he will be able to do something on his own economically for himself and his family.