Meet Kainaat at Mitchell's Fruit Farms

I would like you all to meet Kainaat, she is almost 12 and has one of the happiest smiles I have ever seen.

Its always hard to find women clients at home because they would be working in the morning. In the last village I was conducting interviews; several women work at the Mitchell's Fruit Farms, a very large food manufacturers of jam, jellies, pickles etc. (like Smuckers in U.S.) I decided to go to the factory and interview some of them there. I wasn't able to go inside the factory without prior authorization but I did tour the fruit farms outside, where they grow the apples, oranges, mangoes, plums etc to be used in their products.

Outside the factory gates, there was a huge tent where several people were sitting and cutting fruits with large cutters and choppers, talk about cheap labor...  families working together just sitting and cutting fruit from youngest to the eldest, they spend their whole day chopping fruit from the farms, then put them in large bags that carry 1 maund (82 pounds) each. I asked the women how much they make in a day. She said they average anywhere between 2 to 3 bags full of cut fruit in day and get paid $ 1.00 for each bag.

Thats where I met Kainaat's and her family. Kainaat is the same age as my daughter, Shahnur, who is in sixth grade and aims to be a scholar of comparative studies when she grows up. She also enjoys soccer and video games; and does arts and crafts in her spare time.

 

Whereas Kainaat had a large pile of fruit in front of her that she cuts with a 12 inch long cutter the whole day long. When not working she helps her mom in household chores and takes care of young siblings...

Kainaat served us unripe mangoes sprinkled with raw salt, with a beautiful and contagious smile.