Wort und Tat

Kids of limekilns

Children’s work at limekilns - a burning problem. Please help us to help them!

The region around Piduguralla in the Indian Federal State of Andhra Pradesh looks as if it had been covered with grey icing sugar. It is the dust of the limekilns, which leaves its mark on the landscape. The ovens in which the lime is burned are 40 metres high. The people here are working without safety - adults and children alike. Many children from poor families have to contribute to the maintenance as many families depend on the additional income. Hundreds of children are therefore working in limeworks, where they have to break up limestone with simple hammers, which they then have to carry to the ovens in baskets.  They have never heard of occupation safety and health .

During the last three years, wortundtat has made great efforts to help these children. In the meantime about 150 children are attending school classes. 600 are looked after in a „Day Care Centre“ in a nursery school, which is situated directly next to the limekilns. They learn to read and write, get a warm meal and are prepared for attending a secondary of vocational school. If required they are also provided with medical care. Nobody would pretend that this is paradise - but it is a beginning. We will build on these initial steps.