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

I used to weave carpets from five o'clock in the morning until ten o'clock at night." The speaker is Kanta, a Nepalese child who worked as a virtual slave to carpet factory owners. When Kanta and her friends accept a Rugmark inspector's offer to go to school, their lives change radically. One result is this poignant collection of poems, drawings, and stories by the children that describe their fear of change, the loneliness of attending a new school, and the joy of having food, water, playtime, and a chance to dream.