Oblivious of childhood comfort, beautiful hands work

We witness a vivid divide between children of haves and haves not, one going to schools and enjoying childhood comforts from dawn to dusk while the others being deprived of them facing hardships.

Those who can afford enjoy innocence of their Children and feel pride in sending them to competitive school chains while the poor push their ones to child labour. The children in poverty stricken families have no options but to kill their aspirations, dreams and wishes. They have to earn their livelihood to supplement family income to survive.

Aamna Bibi, 10 a nomad girl compelled to sell corn cobs in the capital. She resides in a slum in I-10. Her father is sick and elderly due to which he can not work to support his family. He is too weak to earn a living now a day.

“My father is no longer in a position to work instead we have to do something to bring in money at night after all day long work for the bolstering of our household expenses,” she said.

Aamna has seven siblings, five brothers and two sisters, all below 13. Almost all of them have to work to contribute towards household expenses.

“I wish to go to school but I do not have such an opportunity as I have to work to earn for my family. I want to learn but poverty does not allow me to go to school. I only know the notion of earning a living,” she told INFN.

“I do go to a makeshift school in ‘Kachi-Abadi’ where we are imparted Islamic education. The languages I like the most are Pushto and Punjabi,” she added.

She earns Rs 60 (less than a dollar) per day. “I love to be a shopkeeper in future as I have a passion for this profession.” she said.

She gives her earning to her mother, whom she later on spends on buying food for the family and without it they have nothing else to do. She said, “My mother has long been trying to get financial aid from the Benazir Income Support Programme but failed, awaiting God Almighty’s help”.