How one little girl was freed from slavery and given back her future
At just 10 years old, Kamla’s childhood was stolen.
Instead of holding pencils, she carried mud.
Instead of reading books, she stacked bricks.
Instead of running to school, she was forced to march to a kiln.
Kamla was taken into slavery—not by choice, but by force. Her parents, trapped in crushing poverty, had borrowed money from a brick factory owner. When they could not repay, the owner enslaved the entire family as bonded laborers. Out of desperation and fear, her parents gave in. Kamla, though innocent, was engaged in forceful child labor by both the brick owner and the helpless consent of her parents.
She became cheap labor in the harshest sense. With tiny hands, she shaped bricks under the burning sun, breathing in dust, robbed of both childhood and dignity. She was supposed to be in school, dreaming of her future, but instead she was bound by a debt that was never hers to pay.
Sadly, Kamla’s story is not unique. Across India, millions of children are still trapped in bonded labor. They can be found working in brick factories, farms, stone quarries, carpet looms, roadside stalls, and even in hazardous environments like firecracker factories. According to reports, around 12.9 million children aged 7–17 are engaged in child labor [SOS Children’s Villages], and more than 42.7 million children are out of school [NextIAS]. For many of them, education is a distant dream, and poverty decides their destiny.
But Kamla was bright, and she loved learning. When one of our local coaches discovered her situation, he was deeply moved. He went to her parents and pleaded: “Let Kamla go to school. She deserves an education, not slavery.”
When our coach met Kamla and asked her about schooling, her words were simple yet heartbreaking:
“I want to study, it’s only my dream.”
Her parents, bound by debt and despair, resisted: “Who will buy her books? Who will pay for notebooks? How will she study?” And the brick owner was unwilling to lose another cheap laborer.
It took weeks of persuasion, persistent requests, and firm pressure, but finally there was a breakthrough. The brick kiln owner released Kamla to return to school—but her parents remain enslaved in bonded labor, still working under the weight of the unpaid debt.
Today, after nearly a year of being a school dropout, Kamla is back in class—she is now in 5th grade and doing well. She not only attends school but also comes to our coaching center for extra lessons and support. Kamla regularly attends our coaching classes and she is doing very well in her studies. Slowly, she is catching up on what she missed. Her face, once clouded with despair, now shines with the hope of a brighter future.
Why Kamla’s Story Matters
Kamla’s journey shows us both the tragedy and the triumph:
- Yesterday, she was a slave. Today, she is a student.
- A little girl once condemned to labor is now full of dreams.
- A life once silenced is now finding her voice again.
Her story represents millions of children in India who are trapped in bonded labor—whether in fields, brick kilns, factories, or workshops—robbed of their right to education and a safe childhood.
Education is more than books—it is freedom. It is the most powerful tool to break cycles of poverty, slavery, and hopelessness. When we invest in children like Kamla, we are not just teaching them to read and write—we are giving them back their dignity, their dreams, and their future.
We are committed to reaching more children like Kamla, providing them with basic education, books, tuition, and encouragement. Because none of this was Kamla’s fault—yet her future doesn’t have to be stolen. But thousands of children like Kamla are still waiting for freedom. With your support, we can give them back their childhood, their education, and their dreams.