Brick Kiln Families

In Pakistan, over 15,000 brick kilns play a significant part in the economy, producing about 45 million bricks per year. But many of the 3 million workers have been trapped there by debt bondage, a form of forced labor.

On our last trip to Pakistan, we met people that had been born in these brick kilns that have been there 40 years, members of second and even third-generation families. [Their] servitude was initiated by a debt of maybe as little as $100 of a medical bill that they couldn’t pay. The Brick Factory owners pay that debt; then they own these people.

These families and children always have had a special place in S.M. I’s heart. We have been able to make difference in many people’s lives by our programs like Sewing Centers, Cosmetology Schools and most importantly by providing Primary education. These people are full of potential to go out to different working places and grow. Let’s lend them a hand to get a better and prosperous lives.