By Elijah (14 years old)
Child labour is still prevalent among young children in the world and Padia is one of those children. Padia is a pretty 11-year-old girl who lives in Cambodia and she is strong both physically and mentally for her age.
Early each morning, Padia helps her neighbours pull a cart filled with water that weighs about 450 pounds. When the morning chores are completed, the most difficult part of her day begins. She must head to the brick factory to work all day together with her mother and little 8-year-old sister instead of going to school like the other kids.
At the brick factory, the temperature is around 35 degrees Celsius. The trio are paid by the number of bricks they load during the number of work hours worked. This task is even harder for Padia’s mom who is getting older and weaker by the day, thus she is faring badly in having to lift and carry the heavy bricks for long hours.
Padia’s dream is to become a teacher, but without going to school, how can it be impossible for her to realise her dream? She wishes that she can go to school like other lucky kids but the mountain of debt owed by her father who had passed away five years ago, held her back. She and her little sister have to work alongside their mom to put food on the table as there are still four more sisters at home who are younger than six.
On the other hand, her mother also wishes that all her girls can have a good education by going to school instead of working at the brick factory and ended up being an illiterate person like herself.
Lamentably, children like Padia should have the right to an education, health care, nutritious food and security, but too often, these rights are eclipsed by poverty. Her sad and touching story has a lesson for every youngster to learn. We, who are more fortunate must appreciate what we have.
2bitsworthofthoughts 