Brick kilns
Brick kilns are infamous in Pakistan and a scourge in the land. The smoke, often black and toxic, bellows from a single large, towering chimney rooted in the centre of the furnace that rages underneath it. The intense heat bakes the bricks hard and its smoke, like a distress flare, is a reminder of the perilous conditions that brick kiln workers toil under. The work is dangerous and burns not uncommon. In the rainy season it is not possible to make bricks. The brick kiln owner often offers food or a loan but this comes at a price with huge interest rates that illiterate labourers are incapable of understanding. Unable to pay off the loan (often as little as a few hundred pounds) they are caught in a debt trap that they cannot escape from. Dare they try, the repercussions are swift and violent. This is modern day slavey. Recent surveys have estimated that about 4.5 million people, including some 1 million children, work in slave-like conditions at around 20,000 brick kilns in Pakistan. At least half of them are women. Many belong to already marginalized religious minority communities such as Christians in the Muslim-majority nation.
Light School
Finding a suitable building to rent as a school in a brick kiln is no easy task. Three houses were rented and the walls that separated them removed to provide 7 classrooms. There are around 250 children in the Light School which sits in the middle of several brick kilns. The classes range from preschool to Class 10 Matric with 12 teachers, including the principal. In 2009 when the school first started there were around 20-30 students. The Principal writes, “The parents of the children feel proud to send their children to the school… because their children are getting educated” but the parents are reluctant to pay fees! The stated aim of the school, among others, is to provide an education for marginalised minority children who would not ordinarily receive any schooling. This school is a beacon of hope in the heart of the community
