HYDERABAD: Close to 150 children gathered to celebrate children’s mela at a construction site near Nallagandla, all smiles and engrossed in the varied activities that were conducted for them.
Migrant children from states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand who had made various construction sites their temporary homes came together and had a field day.
The mela, organised by NGO ‘Aide et Action’ was special for these children who spend their lives travelling with their parents in pursuit of a livelihood.
There was a display of cultural activities and pieces of art created by the children through the year.
“All of this on display today is what children did as part of their activity in the Child Care and Learning Centres (CCLC) that we have across construction sites.”
“It is an intervention project that complies with the Right to Education Act, where every child irrespective of his or her age has the right to learn,” Suresh Gutta, regional manager of Aide et Action said.
The Centres also cater to the nutritional needs of pregnant and lactating mothers and children.
“We also conduct health checks to ensure immunisation for the babies. Trained teachers take classes that have different kinds of activities aimed to ready these kids for school,” added Suresh Gutta.
Bhagwani, a construction worker who hails from Bihar ensures that her children attend the centre everyday.
“While we are on the job, there is no one to take care of the kids. At the centre, we can be assured that they are in safe hands and we do not have to worry at all,” she said.
The highlight of the mela was the exhibition where the migrant children displayed their clay modelling skills.