A school uniform may appear to be a simple piece of clothing. But for a child growing up in a marginalised community, receiving a uniform can represent something much larger: belonging, confidence, recognition and the possibility of a different future.
On 7 August 2026, Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN) organised an education-support activity for young children and their families in a community in Varanasi. The children came together with their parents, community members and social workers for learning activities and distribution of educational and school-support materials.
The initiative was supported by the Jiv Daya Foundation, which provided summer uniforms for 110 children. The beneficiary details included 15 boys below three years, 12 girls below three years, 52 boys aged three to five years and 31 girls aged three to five years.
The support included yellow T-shirts, navy-blue track pants, shorts and sandals, with 110 sets/pairs of the relevant items dispatched for the children. The consignment was dispatched on 30 July 2026, and Jiv Daya Foundation covered the uniform and freight costs in advance.
But the most important message of the day was not about the uniforms.
It was about names.
“Please call your children by their names.”
During the interaction with parents, Mangala Rajbhar, Senior Social Worker, Jan Mitra Nyas, shared a simple but deeply meaningful message:
“Please use the name of your child. A name gives a child identity, recognition and dignity.”
For children from historically marginalised communities, this message carries particular importance.
Children can too easily become identified through labels—poverty, caste, occupation, migration, family circumstances or other social categories. Such labels may describe a social condition, but they should never replace the child's individual identity.
A child is not a “poor child”.
A child is not a “Musahar child” before being a person.
A child is not defined by the occupation of their parents.
A child has a name. A child has a personality. A child has dreams. A child has rights.
Calling a child by their own name is therefore a small but significant act of recognition.
Education is also about dignity
At JMN, education is understood not simply as learning letters and numbers. It is also about creating an environment in which children develop confidence, self-respect and a sense of belonging.
The photographs from the 7 August activity show children participating in learning activities, sitting together with educational materials, and proudly holding their new uniforms.
These moments may appear ordinary, but they are important building blocks of social change.
A uniform can help a child feel ready for school.
A school bag can make learning more accessible.
A learning session can encourage curiosity.
A supportive parent can strengthen a child's confidence.
And calling a child by their own name can affirm: “You are seen. You are recognised. You matter.”
From beneficiaries to rights-holders
The partnership represented by this support is therefore not merely about distributing material assistance.
The larger objective is to strengthen children's access to education, dignity and opportunity while working alongside families and communities.
The support from Jiv Daya Foundation enabled JMN to provide uniforms and sandals to 110 young children. The accompanying communication also requested that photographs of the children wearing the uniforms be shared after distribution for records and reporting.
For JMN, however, documentation should go hand in hand with respect for the identity and dignity of every child.
A culture of recognition
The intervention reminds us that meaningful development is often built through seemingly small actions.
A child receives a uniform.
A parent participates.
A teacher opens a book.
A social worker listens.
A community comes together.
And a parent learns to call their child by their own name.
Together, these acts contribute to a culture in which children are not seen merely as recipients of assistance, but as individual human beings with rights, identities and aspirations.
The message from Mangala Rajbhar is therefore much larger than a request about language.
It is a message about how we see children.
When we use a child's name, we recognise the person.
When we listen to a child, we recognise their voice.
When we educate a child, we recognise their potential.
And when we respect a child's dignity, we help create the foundation for a more equal society.
Dignity begins with a name
The gathering in Varanasi on 7 August 2026 was a reminder that social transformation does not always begin with something grand.
Sometimes it begins with a simple sentence:
“What is your name?”
And then, even more importantly:
“Please call your child by their name.”
Because every child deserves to grow up knowing that they are someone—not merely someone’s child, someone from a particular community, or someone from a particular social background, but an individual with a name, identity, dignity and future.
Dignity begins with recognition.
And sometimes, recognition begins with saying a child's name.
— Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN), Varanasi
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