In the deepest, darkest, mostly unseen recesses of global stone supply chains, some of the world’s poorest people are striving, with help from local NGOs, to educate their kids and improve their lives. So far, we in the West aren’t doing enough to help them.
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Last September I had the pleasure of travelling to India. This is the first in a series of three Cooee podcasts from that India trip. This one is called Stone Voices. I had the privilege of speaking to villagers who make cobblestones by hand. The cobblestones are exported around the world for use in roads and driveways. The industry is riven with child labour and it’s dangerous work. The insidious disease called silicosis clogs the worker’s lungs and kills them slowly and painfully. Too many people die too young. In the village of Paranagujar, a local NGO is working to help create a “child labour free zone” and to help the kids go to school. Step by step, they’re dealing with the health issues. It’s a story of some hope and while much remains to be done, the villagers, and especially the children, are very positive so far.