School Bags Make Them Happy

When we started Brighter Tomorrow we never thought that girls would join the boys section, or that if they joined, their number would increase to around 50 in just one month. 

The first thing the girls asked for on joining was a school bag. When asked why, the unanimous answer was that school bags make them happy. 

Now they will not have to envy the children who they come across in the streets with school bags on their shoulders. From now on, these hard-working girls will be recognized as students, too, with the same self-esteem and confidence.  School bags make them feel good on a psychological level. Having a school bag has the same effect as when a child in the US is given an IPad, an IPhone, or a pair of Nike shoes.  But school bags can be provided at a very small fraction of the cost, not more than a cup of coffee.

And at Brighter Tomorrow, it is a gift that brings with it an education, some rare play time, and the company of friends – gifts without price to child laborers.

The happiness and the glitter in the eyes of these children in the photograph was the effect of their receiving their very own school bags.