04-08-08 - Kinderpostzegels is supporting Jeevan Rekha Parishad, an organisation in Bhubaneswar, Orissa in India to eliminate child-labour in stone-crush areas by providing education. With the support of Kinderpostzegels 20 centres for non-formal education have been established to teach 500 children literacy, leadership and extra-curricular activities for learning social and moral values. The aim is to mainstream children into primary education.

Rachana (10): "My family came to Bubaneshwar 3 years ago from Ganjam and started working in the stone-crush factories. For most of these 3 years I have also worked in the stone-crushers. I worked every day for at least 3 hours, helping my parents with collecting the stones. I did not earn money. Then my parents were contacted by Giri (project co-ordinator of Jeevan Rekha Parishad, the organisation which Kinderpostzegels supports) about education and the Non-Formal Education centre. I first went to this centre for about a year. Then I combined school with working in the stone-crushers."

"Now I am going to this government school, since 4 months, and have stopped working all together. I am happy, because working under the heat of the sun and the dust was really hard. I like this school better than the non-formal education centre, because schooldays are taking more hours in this government school. I like everything we do, especially song and dances, but also maths, which is my best subject. After school I do homework or read at home. I want to become a teacher when I grow up. My parents want me to go to school now. It is funny... when there is a holiday at school, they do not know about, they hardly believe me and tell me to go to school."