Geographic Alliance of Iowa

Child Labor in India
by Luke Juran

Inquiry Question:
List 3 things you would really like to buy today. Pick your favorite item. How much will that one item cost?
Now, what is your favorite place to eat? How much does it cost for you, your parents, and your siblings to eat there?

Objectives:
The Student will be able to

• convert rupees to US dollars and vice versa
• get a feel for poverty and strife that exists in India
• see how basic necessities are considered luxuries for some people
• write a write a genuine empathetic reaction to their findings

Standards
Standard 9:

Grade Level:
9-12

Materials:
Calculator
Newspaper or Internet- to check conversion rates
Internet- to print off child labor article
Free the Children- by Kielburger and Major (a great optional complementary book)

Activity:
Pretend you are a street child from Kolkata (beggar, child laborer, bonded laborer, etc.). You help earn money for your family. Your family consists of a mother, father and 4 children. What you earn will determine what or if your family eats that day. Today you earned 100 rupees.

Answer the following questions (money conversion rates can be accessed in several newspapers and a plethora of websites).

1. Convert the 100 rupees you earned to US dollars. How much did you earn today?
2. How many rupees will it take to buy your favorite item?
3. How many days of work will it take to earn enough rupees to purchase your favorite item?
4. With the money you earned was your family able to eat at your favorite restaurant today? How long will it take to earn enough to take your family out to eat?
5. Pick among a car (15k), house (100k), or college education (25k). How long will it take you to save up for the luxury you chose?
6. Now suppose: ¾ of the money you earn is given to your parents to help pay for your family’s housing, food, and necessities. Now that you only get to keep ¼ of the money you earn, how long will it take you to buy your favorite item?
7. Next, have your students read the article entitled "Child Labor in India" by Chad Olson, which can be accessed and printed at http://mrs.umn.edu/~juhl0013/chadpap.html. This website also has pictures of child labor and links to child labor websites. After the students have read the article have them write a reaction about what they have discovered today. Have the students use the following questions for guidance.
8. How would your life be different as a child in India? How would it feel to not have enough money to buy basic necessities? What would life be like without the luxuries that you take for granted here in the USA (such as your favorite item in question 2)? What would life be like working 6-7 long days a week as an 8 year old child? What other means would you undertake in order to make ends meet (assuming you fail to make a sufficient amount of money each day)? How would it feel to not have enough money to go to school, college, buy a car, buy a house? What will your life be like when you are an adult? How will you be making ends meet? Will your kids be working?

WORKSHEET

Also, teacher can model during the lesson by bringing in a portion of an entrée that represents what they would have been able to purchase with their earnings for that day (for example: 1/5 of a hamburger, ¼ a piece of pizza, etc).