When Children Become Actors

In Odisha, a children’s theatre was set up in the night with lights and music in the midst of the village. Children enacted to a script that talked about most of the problems the villagers face regarding access to toilets, water supply at home and defecating in the open. The kids even portrayed a failed marriage proposal because a smart girl won’t marry a boy who doesn’t have a toilet. “When children enact adults’ roles, it attracts their parents and the villagers. This has worked well as a strategy to raise awareness,” says Rajesh, who was assisting the children’s theatre group.