“I am proud to share that I have received the best outgoing student award for the year 2025–26. Reaching this stage in life has been a journey filled with challenges, support, and hard work, but none of it would have been possible without Sampark and Prema Miss”, said Ninganna, a 21 year old migrant youth, who is currently pursuing his final year of Bachelor of Arts at BES College, Jayanagar, Bangalore.
In 2008, Ninganna, age 4, migrated to Bangalore from Andhra Pradesh with his family, and settled in Ibbaluru migrant labour settlement. His parents found low-income jobs in construction and housekeeping. Unaware of the importance of early childhood care and Education, compounded by economic constraints, Ninganna’s parents were unable to address his primary needs in his foundational years.
When Prema Miss from Sampark’s Early Childhood Care and Education Center (ECCE) counselled Ninganna’s parents and enrolled him in the childcare center, his life saw a tangible transformation. “There was a time when I wasn’t attending school regularly. It was Prema Miss from Sampark who consistently encouraged me. She would come to our home, motivate us, and take us to the center. She taught us, and ensured we had everything we needed: books, pens, bags”, said Ninganna.
Through the center’s support and guidance, Ninganna was later enrolled in the Ibbaluru government school in 2012. Highlighting the importance of education, he added, “Going to school, and attending classes regularly was a turning point in my life. From there, I received the facilities and opportunities to grow. I continued my education sincerely, and worked hard which eventually led me to college.”
Despite financial hardships and family pressure to drop out, Ninganna worked in hotels and housekeeping to support his education. He completed his 10th grade with 68%, and his 2nd PUC with 83%. He is now pursuing a B.A. at BES College, scoring over 90% in both semesters. He is currently in his third semester and preparing for competitive exams with the goal of becoming an IAS officer.
With glee and hope in his eyes, Ninganna emphasized, “Looking back, Sampark school was the foundation of my success. Prema Miss’ dedication and my determination to study, alongside part-time work, enabled me to reach where I am today.”
The Problem: The Exclusion of Migrant Children from Developmental Goals
According to UNICEF, India is home to nearly 93 million migrant children (Census 2011), of which every fifth migrant is a child. With continuous displacement caused by relocation, children of migrant workers bear the maximum brunt as their foundational year growth, well-being and stimulation sees an erratic movement.
As the World Bank posits, 40% of children globally do not have access to childcare in low and middle income countries. Why is childcare important? Research shows that early childhood is a crucial period to support proper nutrition, cognitive development, age-appropriate immunization coupled with growth monitoring (height and weight), and to create a stimulating learning environment that fosters the holistic growth of young children.
The Solution: Early Childhood Care Supporting Aspirations for a Dignified Life
This is where Sampark’s 19 years of commitment to enable migrant children who are continuously exposed to displacement impeding their education, nutritional, and healthcare requirements comes in. Our ECCE centers are not mere spaces, but a complete ecosystem within migrant settlements that caters to the overall needs of migrant children so that they grow up to be confident, secure, and healthy individuals.
Ninganna is among the 66,000 migrant children who have received inclusive and continued childcare support in our ECCE centers, which enabled him to rise above his socio-economic constraints, and achieve a life rooted in learning, pride and prosperity.
Yet, his journey is also an exception in a system that is marred by mobility issues, documentation challenges, and exclusion from mainstream services, like school linkages, that enable holistic welfare and growth.
To address this challenge for migrant children, it is imperative to establish community based, culturally inclusive, economically viable, distance friendly ECCE models like Sampark’s. Interventions through creating digitally enabled, environmentally friendly mobile units, multilingual curriculum, with strategized tracking of dropouts will be useful to retain migrant children in the education space. Every migrant child, regardless of background or geography, receives the care and opportunity they deserve in their most critical years.
In this endeavor of creating sustainable and resilient migrant lives, education is the most catalytic tool to bring out confidence and security for a better today and tomorrow, just like Ninganna’s.