A humiliating encounter at a government office changed the course of Anshu’s life. After struggling to obtain a residential certificate and witnessing corruption firsthand, he chose journalism and later social development over a conventional career.
Today, through the Nev ki Eent Foundation, he works across all 55 brick kilns in Bihar’s Sheikhpura district, where his team runs learning centres, spreads awareness on child labour and health, and helps migrant workers access identity documents and welfare schemes.
The Moment That Changed Everything
Anshu Kumar Jaiswal still remembers the day he walked into the Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s office hoping to secure a residential certificate.
It was not his first visit. He had already made nearly 15 trips, but every time his paperwork remained pending because he refused to pay a bribe. Frustrated and desperate, he tried to enter the SDM’s chamber directly. Instead, his file was snatched away and he was slapped.
As he sat outside the office in tears, a local journalist noticed him. Within moments, the journalist took him inside the chamber, and the certificate that had remained stuck for weeks was signed in just 30 seconds.
That experience left a lasting impression.
While speaking to The Logical Indian, Anshu recalled how that incident completely changed the way he looked at journalism. He realised the influence the profession could have in questioning systems and ensuring accountability. It planted the first seed of a career dedicated to public service.
Finding Purpose Beyond a Conventional Career
Like many students, Anshu had initially prepared for engineering. However, he soon discovered that studying Mass Communication at the Central University of Jharkhand was both accessible and aligned with his growing interest in public issues.
University life became more than an academic journey.
He began observing everyday inequalities around him. Girls living in hostels were required to remain inside after 5.00 pm, while the university’s nearly 3,000 students had inadequate access to medical facilities. Rather than accepting these issues as routine, he joined fellow students in demanding change.
The movement eventually culminated in a symbolic protest where students placed 150 locks across university buildings. Within a week, the university appointed a permanent Vice Chancellor.
For Anshu, the episode reinforced an important lesson. Organised collective action could influence institutions and bring long-awaited reforms.
Learning From Different Parts of India
Wanting to broaden his understanding of youth development, Anshu later enrolled at the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) in Chennai.
The move also fulfilled a personal aspiration of experiencing life in South India.
During this period, he represented India at the ASEAN-India Youth Summit and later led a youth delegation to China. These opportunities exposed him to diverse perspectives and strengthened his interest in community leadership and social development.
Although these experiences expanded his worldview, it was his next assignment that would define his life’s work.
A Reality Hidden Behind Brick Kilns
As part of the Gandhi Fellowship, Anshu was posted to Sheikhpura district in Bihar.
The COVID-19 lockdown had triggered reverse migration, bringing thousands of workers back to their villages. While engaging with migrant communities, he visited brick kilns and encountered conditions that deeply disturbed him.
Girls between the ages of 12 and 15 had already become mothers or were pregnant. Many children suffered from severe acute malnutrition. Access to education, healthcare and government welfare remained almost non-existent.
Initially, the response seemed obvious.
Children could be rescued with police support.
However, the solution proved temporary. Within days, many children returned to the same brick kilns with their families because their parents depended entirely on seasonal work for survival.
In conversation with The Logical Indian, Anshu explained that this experience forced him to rethink the problem itself. Rescue alone could not address the structural issues keeping children trapped in cycles of migration and labour.
Why Schools Were Not Enough
The next step appeared straightforward.
If children could not remain at brick kilns, perhaps they could attend nearby government schools.
Reality proved otherwise.
Many children lacked Aadhaar cards and therefore could not complete enrolment procedures. Others faced discrimination inside classrooms. Even where schools existed, migrant families struggled to maintain continuity because they frequently moved between worksites.
The barriers were administrative, social and economic all at once.
Anshu realised that expecting children to fit into existing systems would leave many of them behind. Instead, the system itself needed to reach the children.
Taking Education to the Kilns
That realisation led to the creation of Akshar Learning Centres inside brick kilns.
Rather than asking children to travel elsewhere, education was brought directly to the places where they lived and worked alongside their families.
The decision was far from easy.
Some brick kiln owners strongly opposed the initiative. One allegedly threatened Anshu with a gun. Another attempted to intimidate him by describing how the kilns reached temperatures of around 800 degrees Celsius and how quickly a human body could perish inside them.
The threats reflected the risks involved in working within spaces that often remained beyond the attention of mainstream institutions.
Instead of withdrawing, Anshu strengthened his engagement with district officials, ensuring that government representatives became aware of and involved in the initiative. Their presence helped establish credibility and created space for the work to continue.
Building the Nev Ki Eent Foundation
The experience eventually led to the establishment of the Nev ki Eent Foundation in 2022.
Rather than focusing on a single intervention, the organisation adopted what it describes as a three-pillar approach.
The first pillar is awareness, helping families understand the harmful effects of child labour while promoting better health practices.
The second pillar is education, delivered through Akshar Learning Centres operating within brick kiln communities.
The third pillar is empowerment, which supports workers in obtaining essential documents and services such as Aadhaar cards, Ayushman health cards and bank accounts. These documents often determine whether families can access education, healthcare and welfare schemes.
Together, these interventions aim to address not only the immediate educational needs of children but also the broader barriers that keep families excluded from public services.
Reaching Every Brick Kiln in Sheikhpura
Today, the Nev Ki Eent Foundation works across all 55 brick kilns in Sheikhpura district and 20 brick kilns at other locations (75 Brick kilns in total).
Its programmes currently reach approximately 2,500 children and around 10,000 workers.
The organisation has also partnered with the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority to establish Heat Resilience Spaces and cooling centres for brick kiln workers and children. These are intended to protect vulnerable communities from extreme weather conditions and represent a first-of-its-kind initiative in India according to the information shared.
While the work continues in Sheikhpura, Anshu hopes to replicate the model across Bihar and Jharkhand, particularly in districts such as Palamu and Ranchi.
His larger ambition is not only expansion but also visibility.
Brick kilns, he believes, remain among the least discussed workplaces despite the scale of migration and vulnerability associated with them. Bringing sustained public attention to these communities is as important as any single intervention.
Looking Beyond Rescue
Anshu’s journey illustrates how personal experiences can shape public purpose.
A young man who once struggled to obtain a basic government certificate now spends his time helping migrant families secure identity documents, education and access to welfare.
His work reflects a shift in thinking from responding to immediate crises towards addressing the conditions that create them.
Rather than viewing brick kiln workers solely through the lens of rescue, his organisation focuses on ensuring that families receive the opportunities and public services that many others take for granted.
For children growing up in these temporary settlements, that can mean learning to read without leaving the place where they live. For parents, it can mean finally obtaining the documents that connect them to healthcare, banking and government support.
The work continues to evolve, but its foundation remains rooted in a simple belief that lasting change begins by reaching people where they are.
The Logical Indian Perspective
The story of Anshu Kumar Jaiswal reminds us that some of India’s most pressing challenges remain hidden in plain sight. Brick kilns employ thousands of migrant families, yet their children often remain excluded from education, healthcare and welfare systems. Lasting change requires more than short-term interventions. It demands solutions that recognise people’s realities and bring public services closer to those who need them most.
By combining education, awareness and access to essential documentation, the Nev Ki Eent Foundation demonstrates how community-centred approaches can help restore dignity and opportunity to some of the country’s most overlooked communities.
What more can governments, organisations and citizens do to ensure that every child, regardless of where they live or work, has access to education and basic rights? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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