Most children associate sand with fun with on the beach or happy
times in the sandpit. But for Basanta, age 12, and his younger
brother Karma, sand is part of a gruelling day’s work. Despite
his young age, Basanta is a sand miner - which means he spends
his days shovelling and filtering sand so it can be used for
building materials. It’s dusty, sweaty, back-breaking work – and
can be extremely dangerous too. Recently, a mother and child
were killed when a makeshift mine collapsed. Basanta and his
brother are just two of the estimated 215 million children
around the world who have to work to make ends meet. Without the
extra cash he brings in, his family simply could not afford to
eat. Unfortunately, they still don’t have enough money to pay
for Basanta to go to school. But thanks to the help of the Child
Welfare Scheme, which is funded by Comic Relief, things are
starting to change for Basanta. The project has provided him and
his brother with a dedicated social worker who makes sure they
know how to keep saf