FAQs

Who does Help Free the Children help?

Help Free the Children focuses on the children of Bihar, the poorest state in India. We help fund the Niranjana Public Welfare School and Orphanage which gives impoverished children freedom from child labour and the gift of hope.

Is child labour legal in India?

The policy of the Indian government is to ban employment of children below the age of 14 in factories, mines and hazardous employment and to regulate the working conditions of children in other employment. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 seeks to achieve this basic objective.

How can we free the children from forced labour?

Most children in Bihar work because their families are desperately poor and the child’s labour is necessary for survival, even though the children earn only 65 cents a day. Unscrupulous employers prefer to hire children because they can pay them less than adults. We believe the key to helping the children is in reducing poverty and the key to reducing poverty is in education.

How much does it cost to sponsor an orphan in Bihar?

A minimum of $NZ26 a month will help an orphan receive free hostel accommodation, clothing, nutritious food, healthcare and a quality education.

What about donations?

We appreciate whatever you are able to give however a donation of $NZ65 will cover all education expenses for a child for a year.

Can I leave money towards this project in my will?

You can choose to write a gift into your will, to go towards one of our projects. Just email us on info@freethechildren.org.nz or call us on freephone 0508 4 CHILD (0508 424 453), and we will give you the details needed to complete this process.

Where does our money go?

We pass your sponsorship, donations and bequests to the Niranjana Public Welfare School Charitable Trust and Orphanage. The director Siddhartha Kumar takes responsibility for administering those funds to benefit the children of Bihar and, indirectly, the whole community.