By Shana Greene | Executive Director/Village Volunteers
Dear Supporter,
The great quote by philosopher Margaret Mead takes it best. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed it the only thing that has."
When I take a glimpse into New Light, the NGO in Kolkata that educates and shelters children in the red light district, I can't help but think of the staff and of the founder and fearless director, Urmi Basu. This charismatic woman has managed to transform the lives of children who had nothing more to look forward to but slavery and degrading, often violent life paths. When you go to New Light, its a matter of understanding the inevitable path these children who have taken if not for Urmi. Helping the oppressed is Urmi's calling and she does it in a way that instills confidence in children who saw no future but to become prostitutes, pimps or drug dealers. Now when you ask children what they want to be when they grow up their eyes light up and they say, a policeman, a chef, and one bright boy with the aptitude to go into engineering. Not one child in the care of New Light has gone back to the streets because of Urmi. So, indeed, we see time and time again we shouldn't underestimate the power of a single individual or a small group of people to change the world.
Recently, Windsor Johnston from NPR visited New Light through Village Volunteers and was able to capture the essence of New Light. Windsor went on to win several radio awards for her work at New Have a listen. Light. https://www.npr.org/2018/11/23/670373258/calcutta-woman-helps-children-of-sex-workers-break-the-cycle
Thank you!
By Shana Greene | Executive Director, Village Volunteers
By Shana Greene | Executive Director of Village Volunteers
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