By Lucy Mathews | Program Officer, CSA
Vishakha (name Changed) was bought to the observation home for Girls Pune at the age of 14 yrs. She was found by the railway police on Pune railway station all alone crying. She was very frightened and scared when the police started asking her questions. She refused to give any answer. As a matter of safety she was enrolled in Observation home for girls. She used to be very shy and quite. May be wondering what is going to happen with her?
Catalysts for social Action (CSA) had taken up the activity to run tailoring class at this Child care institute for the girls especially for those who are school drop outs. Her stay in Observation home for girls and session with psychologists revealed that she has left her schooling after 5th Grade (4 yrs back) After that she never tried to read and write. Since she could not do well in her formal schooling she was sent to attend the tailoring class run by CSA. But there too she could not do well as it was difficult for her to understand to take the measurements and do proper cutting. The instructor of the tailoring class then has to teach her the ruler first and then some basic calculations. Vishakha fund this very boring and so difficult that she started missing the class and whenever she used to attend she used to pay less attention.
Tailoring instructor then changed her policy and started doing cutting of clothes for Vishakha and asked her to just stitch cuttings done by the instructor. Vishakha was very happy as she could run the sewing machine and finish the task before other girls do it. Other girls used to spend time for learning cutting and then start stitching whereas in Vishakha's case whatever used to come to her she used to just run the sewing machine over it. After few days the instructor made her realized that only stitching faster than then others will not help her to make her own dress independently as the other girls were doing.
Vishakha took the challenge as she had experienced the joy of finishing the task before others, she wanted to overcome the lacuna and be the expert. She now showed her interest and spends extra time with the instructor. This made her expert and confident that she started stitching clothes even after the class is over. She stitched frocks to all the younger girls in the Home. Meanwhile her interaction with Child Welfare committee and Staff from children home made the police officials to find her parents. Her parents are informed and very soon they are going to come to take her back. But Vishakha wants to stay few more days in the children’s home so that she completes her course. She is confident that sfter going back to the small town to which she belongs, she will start tailoring of her own and will be a helping hand for her poor parents.
Vishakha admits that this course of 3 months, surly is the turning point in her life……
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By Lucy Mathews | Program Officer
By Lucy Mathews | Program Officer, CSA
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