CASE STUDY: THE LIFE CHOTI OF strong adversaries. The rest of the day is spent aimlessly wandering around the streets and begging This little child is 5 years old. She responds to the for survival. name Choti and lives in the desperate world of Kolkata's streets. One could pass her by on Kolkata's streets at night. She is a bundle of rags on At night, Choti curls up in a tiny ball, unrecognisable the footpath. A filthy flea-infested rat scurries out as a sleeping child. All around her thousands of from the dirt-stained bundle that conceals her tiny other children sleep on their piles of rags. The hours body. Her sad, soulful eyes stare out from a dirty between dusk and dawn are nightmarish. It is then tear-stained face. Ragged shreds of a greenish that the vulnerable sleeping children become victim material, which was once a beautiful summer dress to predatory adults who abuse them. There is no for some faraway child from another world, barely hope of rescue. cover her tiny abused and battered body. Choti is a victim. She inhabits a body, which has lost Perhaps at one stage Choti's family, filled with the its soul and has become one of the thousands of joy of a parent's love, had given her another name, child ghosts that wander streets. Choti is 5 Kolkata’s but on the street a name holds little value. Each of years old when she dies. During her brief life, not Choti's days and nights follow a similar pattern. By one record or document acknowledged her birth, life day, she scavenges in the piles of rubbish. Some or death. She is a nowhere child. days she is successful though for the most part (See page 6 for suggested activities in response to hunger is her constant companion. Competition on this story) the streets is tough where the dogs and the rats are
CASE STUDY: THE LIFE OF CHOTI This little child is 5 years old. She responds to the name Choti and lives in the desperate world of Kolkata's streets. One could pass her by on Kolkata's streets at night. She is a bundle of rags on the footpath. A filthy flea-infested rat scurries out from the dirt-stained bundle that conceals her tiny body. Her sad, soulful eyes stare out from a dirty tear-stained face. Ragged shreds of a greenish material, which was once a beautiful summer dress for some faraway child from another world, barely cover her tiny abused and battered body. Perhaps at one stage Choti's family, filled with the joy of a parent's love, had given her another name, but on the street a name holds little value. Each of Choti's days and nights follow a similar pattern. By day, she scavenges in the piles of rubbish. Some days she is successful though for the most part hunger is her constant companion. Competition on the streets is tough where the dogs and the rats are strong adversaries. The rest of the day is spent aimlessly wandering around the streets and begging for survival. At night, Choti curls up in a tiny ball, unrecognisable as a sleeping child. All around her thousands of other children sleep on their piles of rags. The hours between dusk and dawn are nightmarish. It is then that the vulnerable sleeping children become victim to predatory adults who abuse them. There is no hope of rescue. Choti is a victim. She inhabits a body, which has lost its soul and has become one of the thousands of child ghosts that wander Kolkata’s streets. Choti is 5 years old when she dies. During her brief life, not one record or document acknowledged her birth, life or death. She is a nowhere child. (See page 6 for suggested activities in response to this story)
HOPE-21-Schools-Immersion-Prog.-Teachers-Resource-Guide-Development-Education-Resource-2017-1.docx