Ragpicker Girls


These are girls who live in the town rubbish dump – their work, along with their parents, is sorting rubbish – including hospital waste – into bags, and selling it for 10 rupees a kg….The young girls themselves are sometimes sold also…

Rishikesh is the yoga capital of India, visited by thousands of Western tourists and meditators every year, and it is a beautiful and idyllic place. But not for these girls! Prabhavati Dwabha, was recently given $100,000 by a HongKong based charity to build accommodation and care for some of these girls in Ramana’s Garden, a home for destitute children, which she started 25 years ago. But more money will be continually needed for their care and education.