Poverty in India

I researched poverty in India from the Childhood Poverty website and here are some of my findings. In one case study it talks about a seventeen year old named Banwari who lives in a village in what is called the Tonk district. He is a part of a family of ten that includes his six brothers and they own a farm in which they grow crops to make money. Because of the size of his family, the farm does not produce enough to support all of them. Banwari had to drop out of school because his family could not afford to pay and also because his father became ill and he needed to get a job to help support the family. While Banwari wanted badly to go to school so that he could make more money, his family needed him to get straight work because without the income the family would probably become homeless. I had heard plenty of stories about children having to drop out of school and work to help the family out with money. My grandfather had to drop out of school in the 8th grade to help his mother and father with the farm and animals. Another case study I read was about Nanuram, who is a twelve year old who also lived in the Tonk District with his father, mother and two siblings. One thing that I have found out from reading is that these children have to pay for school even in their young ages. I think that this is so unfair that getting an education is based on how much money your family makes. Nanuram started selling ice cream at the age of ten with his uncle, who had been doing so for some time. Nanuram would make money from selling ice cream and give the majority of the money to his mother. The rest of the money he used to get clothes made for him. Nanuram also had to deal with the fact that his father was an alcoholic and sometimes abused his mother. He blames his father’s drinking and frustration on their poor living conditions. Children should not have to bear the burden of working and trying to help keep the family from being in severe poverty. This child has a lot to deal with but he seems to have a strong will to get his family out of their current situation. The last case study was about sixteen years old, Laxmi, who is the most educated girl in the Tonk district. She is also the first girl to learn how to ride a bike. Laxmi has a daily routine that includes getting up extra early to get ready for school. Once school is out she comes home and makes tea for her family with water that she hand pumped. She then studies and goes to bed to start the routine all over again the next day. Laxmi has 3 siblings and their family is better off than a lot of the other families in their village. She was married at the age of ten to a young boy that lives in another village in the Tonk district. Even though Laxmi is married she still continues to go to school. Laxmi wants to continue her education and become a teacher. Having an education gives Laxmi self-confidence. She still lives with her parents until her husband is able to get a job with the police force. Even though her family is not one of the richest they do the best they can and have instilled in their children the importance of education.