Sponsored by – FICOSA India
In collaboration with – Aide et Action (NGO)
Place – Sangareddy District
Time period – 6 months- April 2023 to September 2023
Telangana Social Impact Group (T-SIG), through Project UDAAN – aimed at revitalizing the migrant worker (brick kiln) community in Sangareddy district thereby enabling their holistic well-being on parameters such as health and nutrition, children’s education, equitable wages and better living conditions.
In Telangana, brick kilns are one of the most flourishing industries in the unorganized sector. These consist of the thousands of migrant labourers that move to Telangana State from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra and work in the brick kilns. The standard of living of these workers is below average. The education of the children of these labourers is adversely affected because of seasonal migration. Many of them are forced to work on-site and those who don’t work, babysit their younger siblings. Women often face much discrimination in terms of wages and working hours in brick kilns. The situation of adolescent girls residing in brick kilns is also precarious as they are susceptible to violent and sexual abuse. Basic amenities, medical services and educational facilities are not available. There is enough evidence to prove that the bonded labour system is strong in all the brick kilns.
T-SIG along with Aide Et Action (NGO), facilitated the coming together of six Government departments- Education Department, Police Department, Women Development and Child Welfare (WDCW), Labour Department and Civil Supplies to ensure safe and decent living for the migrant workers in the brick kilns.
On 2nd June 2023, 24 employees from FICOSA interacted with 100+ children of migrant labourers. They distributed new clothes, footwear, sarees, rice, and pulses to each child. The students were also given Re-integration certificates which meant they would continue with their education when they returned to their native state of Odisha. The local police station officers visited the kilns to sensitise the workers about women’s rights as well.
Services for vaccinations and provision of nutritional food for children, pregnant women and lactating women have been provided by Women Development and Child Welfare (WDCW) department. The Commissionerate of Health and Family Welfare (CHFW) has conducted health camps and immunization drives at the worksites.
The registration of these workers under available schemes in Telangana was also worked on. Keeping the long-term growth in view, worksite schools have been worked on including linking brick kiln workers with nearby ration shops.
