Heartbreak

Don't worry, this isn't one of those sappy love stories that take a tragic turn. It's about a little girl, reciting the days of the week while rocking her crying baby sister in her arms. After the Days-of-the-Week song ended, I taught her how to snap her fingers, to keep her baby sister occupied. We were sitting in a makeshift school in the middle of a construction site. Josna is the daughter of two of the laborers that work on the site. She goes to this school along with the other workers' kids (or at least those whose parents allow them to go), for food, shelter, and informal education.

I asked her if she liked going to this school to which she nodded with a wide smile.

"Are you learning anything?"

Frantic nodding.

"Really?"

"Yes, really!"

"So how old are you?" I asked her.

She kept smiling but gave me a blank stare.

"How old are you?" I repeated, thinking she hadn't heard me over the noise of our surroundings.

The same blank stare.

"Don't you know how old you are?"

She shook her head shyly: No.

My heart broke.

I always knew that we, as humans, take many things for granted. Our homes, food, education, loved ones, games, electric supply, and so much more. On this day, talking to this little girl, I realized that knowing our birthdates is also a privilege that we take for granted.

My birthday has been celebrated since before I can remember, and I will continue to celebrate it for the rest of my life. One date, seemingly insignificant yet such a large part of my identity. Josna and so many others like her will never know the joy of becoming a year older (or the sorrow of become "too old" in your own eyes).

This isn't a superficial rant about the importance of birthdays or pity for those who don't know theirs. This is about realizing that their struggle is much larger than the obvious picture we get when we see them walking down the street. It's about kids who dream of a world beyond the construction site and the one-room school within it.

So this festive season, #sparkasmile by donating to assure that Josna and her friends will always have a safe space to learn and grow.

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Spark a Smile this Diwali by supporting SAATH Child Friendly Spaces! Help provide shelter, nutrition, and education to child laborers in India. Click the link below to donate. #sparkasmile #SAATHCharitableTrust #childlabor #education #underprvilegedchildren #india #diwali2k18

For Foreign Donors: (donate in USD) https://www.globalgiving.org/fundraisers/spark-a-smile/

For Indian Donors: (donate in INR)
http://saath.org/donate-now/