We Need to Go to School: Voices of the Rugmark Children

Compiled by: Tanya Roberts-Davis In their own words and drawings, Nepalese children talk about their early years in poverty-stricken villages, their work as virtual slaves in carpet factories in Kathmandu, and how they felt when they were given a chance to attend school and pursue their dreams for the future. These children vividly remember the day their lives changed for the better — the day a Rugmark inspector came into the factory and asked them whether they wanted to go to school. The children describe their fear of the unknown, the loneliness of being taken to a school where they knew no one, and finally the joy of having what North American children take for granted: sufficient food, clean water, the opportunity to learn, the time to play, and the chance to fulfill dreams for the future. In 1999, 16-year-old Tanya Roberts-Davis traveled to Nepal, where she lived with former child carpet weavers. During that time, she collected the children's poems, drawings and stories, which she has assembled in this book. Tanya has been a children's advocate since she started raising money for Oxfam in primary school. "This is one of the most moving and gripping books on child labor that it's been my privilege to read. The beautiful web of stories and poetry reveals, with unexpected emotive power, both the tales of horror and the abiding hope of the Rugmark children. The simplicity of expression takes one's breath away, the love for education is extraordinarily powerful, the illustrations are evocative, and the introductory narrative puts it all in context. It is said that the book is for children nine to fourteen: don't believe it. This is a book for everyone." -- Stephen Lewis (former Deputy Director of UNICEF) For more information, visit Global Exchange's Fair Trade Campaigns.Paperback: 48 Pages, Maps, B&W Photos and Illustrations Throughout