The work of Trust Charity Mumbai Mobile Crèches appears in the latest issue of NewStateman magazine focussing on India. The article follows:
Futures Under Construction
Behind the spectacular rise of mega-cities like Mumbai are the labourers, the poorest of the poor in Indian urban areas. Hidden in the shadows of emerging tower blocks, these migrant workers flock to cities to find work to keep their families alive. Construction sites become their homes where they live and work in treacherous conditions.
The children of migrant workers are even more vulnerable. Because of their families’ extreme poverty, they are left to fend for themselves. They suffer from malnutrition, accidents and countless health problems, and do not go to school. The dangerous construction site is their only playground.
Ironically, the children of the very people who produce the concrete symbols of economic development in Mumbai are denied access to the benefits that come with progress.
Mumbai Mobile Crèches runs child development centres for the children of migrant construction workers, estimated to be over 80,000. Last year Mumbai Mobile Crèches ran 30 centres on construction sites providing education, health care and nutrition to more than 5000 children. Since it was started in 1972, Mumbai Mobile Crèches has set up over 500 centres on construction sites. A voice for migrant families, the organisation champions the cause of young children on construction sites through advocacy with builders, civil society groups, non-governmental organisations and the government.
Mumbai Mobile Crèches is just one of 12 pioneering charities supported by The British Asian Trust. Founded by HRH The Prince of Wales and led by the community, the Trust transforms lives by investing in charities, like Mumbai Mobile Crèches, that are making the greatest impact on poverty in South Asia and the UK.
The Trust works for lasting change by increasing the power of charitable giving in the critical areas of education, health and livelihoods. Since its establishment in 2007, the Trust has touched 350,000 lives touched across five countries - Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the UK.
