Building a foundation

As labourers flock to Delhi from other states in search of work,sending their children to school often becomes a problem. Sampark,a group of volunteers,attempts to teach children of such migrant labourers and help them get admission to mainstream schools.

“This year we have a group of about 19 children who will be admitted to various schools,” says Rama Shankar who heads this group of volunteers.

The foundations of Sampark was first laid in 2003 when as students of Banaras Hindu University in 2003,Shankar and his friends began teaching children of sex workers. After graduation,Shankar shifted to Delhi where he’s pursuing research and teaching children of labourers. His group was registered in 2007 by the name of Sampark Society.

The group,comprising 20 members,runs classes at six of its centres—all construction sites. “We have two centres at Delhi University where construction is on at Ramjas College and Delhi School of Economics,we have centres each at Polo Ground,Parmanand Colony,Mukherji Nagar,and one at Khajuraho Khas at the CRPF camp,” says Shankar.

The number of students in all six centres adds to about 300.

The classes are held in shifts. “It depends on when the students are free and get time to come to the site to teach children,” says Shankar. “No teacher is paid,they come on their own.”

The group occasionally runs into problems. “Parents of these children are poor and don’t understand the importance of education,” says Shanti Joshi,20,another teacher who is pursuing her graduation in Economics from Delhi University. The organisation has succeeded in sending about 150 of their children to schools.

Apart from teaching,the group also tries to help the migrant families in other ways. “We ask our friends in DU or JNU and they help us collect clothes and shoes from the hostels for these children,” adds Shankar.