As a child of migrant labourers working in the brick kiln community, Akash moved to Telangana from Kanut, Odisha in 2022. He was exposed to harsh conditions in the kilns and was left to play in the dust, missing out on his education.
T-SIG, along with 7 Government departments enabled positive interventions in the lives of 10,000 brick kiln workers in 2023-2024. Worksite schools were set up in Rangareddy and Sangareddy districts to ensure that children of migrant labourers continue to study in their native vernacular language (in this case, Odia).
The kids were provided with mid-day meals, health check-ups, school bags, uniforms, stationery, books etc. Aide et Action (the NGO implementing this) ensures that every child’s education journey continues beyond the kiln. Akash went back to Odisha in June 2023 and continued with his schooling in Kanut High School, Odisha, armed with certificates from the Education department, Telangana.
Akash remembers the inspiring interactions he has had with employees of Corporates supporting this CSR programme, at a brick kiln. An employee volunteer told him “These bricks are going to the city where skyscrapers are built in which various engineers work”. At that moment Akash said, “I will migrate to Hyderabad once again and this time, not as a labourer but as an engineer, working in those very skyscrapers that were built using the bricks made by my parents.”
