One of the basic rights of children is to have their voices heard. But try telling that to a barely literate child living on the streets of some of India's largest cities. In an age of pomp and ceremony, speeches and politics, what forum is left to these children to tell the stories of their lives?

The answer lies in a form of communication dear to all children, the combination of dialogue and pictures that adults refer to as a comic book.

Recently, World Vision collaborated with Word Comics India to give children living in the streets and slums of four Indian cities a chance to share their stories with the world using comic characters.

The cities were Guwahati, Kolkatta, Mumbai and Chennai. Though the stories that emerged were different, the freedom and joy of expression for children in each city remained the same.

The impact of the event could be felt as children gained confidence to communicate their life's experiences using cartoon strokes, characters and dialogues, then verbally dissecting the meaning of them together.

In development terms, the purpose of each four day workshop was to develop child-friendly educational tools on social issues, as well as to empower children to communicate their opinions on child rights issues and exploitation.

"We have seen that children can advocate on their own behalf and a large section of people in India listen to their voice. This event is aimed at providing the platform and confidence for children to do so", says Joseph Wesley, Manager Chennai Street Children Project

Tragi-comic reveals children's reality
In each city, the stories children chose to tell revealed the true hardship of their lives.

Children, especially boys, who live in such difficult circumstances often use harmful drugs like sniffing glue to get by during the day and keep them from hunger at night. In the comics these boys created, stories were shared about brushing shoulders with the police and the people and pressures behind the addiction of substance abuse.

Some of the girl participants also lived a street life, which made them vulnerable to all kinds of abuse. Their stories were poignantly reflected in the black and white boxes they drew.

Getting through all four days was not easy for the children, especially for children who are constantly on the move like child scavengers who run all day between train stations. With little experience of a classroom environment, sitting in one place was not something they were comfortable with. But the vibrant and varied sessions helped keep them engaged.

Sheikh Sahid, a fourteen-year-old slum dweller in Kolkatta says: "The comics workshop was a good learning for me. Now my friends and I can talk about the issues that concern us to the general public using comics."

And in Guhawati, child participant Sompa Das agrees. "We have gained confidence in making pictures," she says, "which we were unable to do before"

Bringing comic strips to life
World Vision continues to face the challenge in India of changing living conditions for every girl and boy growing up without their basic rights. Interventions in the field of education, economic support and health have all shown positive results.

The comic book initiative allows children to contribute to these interventions by revealing where they are most vulnerable to rights abuse and what they do in response. They show their own capacities and strategies for dealing with their daily challenges, as well as the areas where they need the most support from carers, authorities and communities.

"Comics seemed to have caught the children's attention and I have seen it is a very effective tool for children to raise their voice", says Chief Guest Paresh Das of Press Trust of India.

After the successes of the four city Word Comic partnership, World Vision India hopes to take this method of communication further, as a way to encourage children's participation in all communities where they work.

"We want to see children as trainers and catalysts who facilitate other children to speak out", said Reni Jacob, Director Advocacy - World Vision India.

Gameliel Sherio is the Programme Manager for Guwahati Street Children Project and one of the comic book workshop conveners. He is excited about the reach for children's voices as a result of the initiative, saying "This is potentially a very powerful tool to generate public awareness on the plight of children marginalised by society."

For more information or interviews on the World Vision/Word Comic partnership, please contact:  

Joseph Wesley at +91 9444382386