On 28th August, Guruprasand (name changed) and two of his friends were rescued from the Railway Station by our team and brought to CAB. At first the children were hesitant and provided the team with false information, but the team was ever diligent and kind. They formed trust between themselves and the children and eventually the kids told the team their real names. After conducting a background check and listening to Guru, they were able to piece together his story.
Guru was studying at Vivekananda higher secondary school, Sozhavanthaan in Tamil Nadu. He was living at a hostel and his parents were paying Rs. 30000 as fees. His family was financially unstable and went through a lot of hardships to make this possible. Guru’s school warden was extremely strict, often beating the children for misbehavior and collecting fines from them. Before that, his older brother ran away from home and never returned. Because of that, and financial troubles, the family was enduring unbearable hardships. Guru left school because he wanted to support his family, and not be a burden.
That’s why Guru left home with his friends to look for work in Chennai. He smoked often, but was not addicted to the habit. While looking for work, he stumbled upon a possible job at Thiru Annamalaiyar hotel Villupuram and tried pursuing it. The hotel instructed him to return the next day. Not having anywhere else to go, Guru returned to the station where he and friends were rescued by CAB.
Guru was handed over to the Child Welfare Committee and the Chairman was asked to reconnect him with his family. On the 4th of September, the team initiated the first follow up. Guru was going to school without any problems and on the 2nd of March the situation remained the same.
On the 3rd of April, a third follow up was conducted in light of COVID-19. The family was safe, and Guru was at home. The family was educated on the necessary safety measures to be taken during the pandemic. Through the intervention of the team, and repeated counselling, Guru learnt that he was not a burden to his family, and that his education would help him in bettering his life.
