Fifteen underprivileged children visited SOA Community Radio 90.4 studio here on Saturday sharing their life experience and hope for a better future.

Excited about their first radio tour, the children spoke about the difficulties they faced in the street and their struggle for living a normal life with dignity.

Bandhua Deogam, 15, narrated about his struggle with substance abuse and how he was able to kick the habit. He is now going to school.

Fifteen year old Laxmi Reddy, now studying in Class ten, had been working as a child labour while Kanha Singh, 12, was another drug addict who had managed to free himself from the fixation.

The children had a free-wheeling discussion with the anchors about a range of subjects including drug addiction, child marriage, sexual abuse and their exploitation as child labour. “What we are made to do is not by our choice, but circumstancs forced us into such situations,” one of the children said.

“Being part of such radio programs can help them explore their latent creativity,” Ms. Honey Patnaik, Officer-in-charge of SOA Community Radio 90.4, said adding “through this medium we have been trying to help such children become better human beings.”

The radio tour was organised by ‘Ashayen Odisha’, an NGO working among street children.