Hafsa is a medical student whose passion is art. Over the years, she has designed classrooms for kindergartens, starting always with discussions with the children to learn their interests and dreams. When she heard about BRIGHTER TOMORROW, she volunteered to decorate the classroom used by the child laborers in the program. This is what she learned when she went to talk with the children.
“To my amazement, the children were very small.
I was used to children talking about cartoon characters, characters from famous Hollywood movies, and about their dreams and passions. But when I went to meet the students at BRIGHTER TOMORROW, I found something very different. They had hardly watched any cartoons or movies. They talked about washing dishes, baking bread, working with machines, scavenging …… an endless list of chores.
Their dreams were not about flying, exploring the world, or living in a jungle like Tarzan. They had no idea of games, nor had they played any games. They have no dreams because they do not have time to dream. What breaks my heart the most was their fear of losing their work, of their families not having enough to eat or being unable to pay rent and utilities.
My work designing their classroom will be very challenging, but very fulfilling too. I hope I will be able to help them be children. I wish they would start dreaming. They will need support from all of us.”