'Holistic Development'for 300 Poor Kids in India

Bhushan is a 9 year old, intelligent boy. He has been promoted to class 5 with A1 Grade ( 91 to 100 %
marks) . He got 100% marks in Mathematics. He is good in drawing and enjoys playing
cricket with his friends. He is smart, sincere and very helpful in nature. He comes to the study centre run by IDEA
regularly. He won 1^st prize in a drawing competition and 2^ndprize in a hand writing competition organized by IDEA during the recently concluded summer camp. He aims to become a Military Officer.

Behind this perfect and colorful story, there is a very tragic story of his family. Bhushan’s father was working
as a salesman with a regular but small income. He was without any vices and a very responsible man. He wanted to give good education to his children; hence enrolled them in a private school . Bhushan’s mother devoted her whole time in looking after the family, as the children were small. They were unaware of what the fate had in store for them. Bhushan’s father suddenly fell ill in 2008. He had a problem of choked esophagus/the food pipe. Gradually he could swallow only liquids. He underwent two surgeries without any improvement. His health deteriorated day by day. Soon he became completely bed ridden and lost his job.

Bhushan’s mother started working as a part time maid servant. Her meager income was insufficient even to feed
the children.  The parents thought of discontinuing the children’s education or withdrawing them from the private school and enroll them in a Government school.  The family lived on the verge of starvation and at the mercy of the neighbors.  Bhushan’s mother took loan from various sources after repeated appeals. However, she knew it will be impossible to repay the loans with her meager income, and the growing family needs. The family was
referred to IDEA by one of the neighbors.

Bhushan & his sister Vaishnavi were enrolled in our study center.  They were supported for their education, medical needs & supplementary nutrition. In this case, this was not enough. We found a sponsor who helped the family for the medical expenses (partly) of the father, and to meet the nutritional needs of the family.  In spite of all our efforts, the father passed away in 2009.  It took almost a year for the mother and the children to come out of the trauma. IDEA’s Social Worker paid home visits every day to provide moral & all the possible financial support to the family.

 Gradually the family learned to cope with the crisis at home. The mother started working full time and slowly repaying the loan she had taken.

After the summer vacation, schools have re-opened . Bhushan & Vaishnavi are provided with school bag, notebooks & school stationary.

Bhushan’s mother becomes speechless when she shares her experience with someone and how she and her children got a new life due to timely support. It is indeed a new life for the family.

Thanks to all donors for making this possible!!

Dear  Donors,

Greetings from IDEA !

We want to share the story of Lakshmi with you .

  Lakshmi is a fifteen year old orphan child. Her parents died when she was still a toddler – the father died due to severe alcoholism leading to liver damage & the mother due to complications post delivery. Lakshmi’s parents were illiterate and were working as casual laborers.  Due to the alcoholism and illness of the father, the family was in extreme poverty. The eldest child Shobha was not enrolled in school at all as the parents needed her to baby sit the younger siblings. The family lived in a tiny tin sheet hut, in a crowded slum.    

When the parents died, the eldest child Shobha was about 10 years old; the entire burden of the family- caring and rearing of the younger siblings aged 8, 4 and an infant brother, fell on Shobha’s shoulder. She used to collect and sell scrape materials to earn some money to feed her siblings. Fortunately, a distant relative and a few neighbors helped the family during the initial stages.

 Shobha enrolled her younger brother Parshuram , sister Lakshmi and the youngest brother Kashinath in Government school in due course . Shobha got married when she attained puberty due to the pressure from the relatives. In the absence of proper guidance, Parshuram dropped out from school when he was in grade 7  and  followed his father’s food steps – as an alcoholic causal laborer. It was then Lakshmi’s turn to look after the family .She was only nine years old and was studying in grade 4 when the entire burden of household work came on her. She somehow managed the work at home for a couple of years. When  her elder brother’s alcoholism moved from  ‘bad to worst ‘,  the family often  was on the verge of starvation. Lakshmi  had to drop out of school when she was in grade 6 to earn some money to feed her brothers, though she had a strong desire to study.  

It was at this stage IDEA started working in the slum where the family was staying. Due to the counseling and support from the Social Workers, Lakshmi was re-enrolled in school. She started attending school and  the study centre run by IDEA . Her younger brother was also selected for sponsorship support. We also supported the family with supplementary nutrition. We are also trying to wean the elder brother away from alcoholism but yet to be successful in our attempt. However, he now contributes some money towards the needs of the family.  

Lakshmi saves some money by working as a part time servant during long summer vacation. As she is in grade 8, i.e in high school classes, she needs to spend more time on studies when the school reopens in June. 

Lakshmi is good in extracurricular activities like dancing, making mehendi designs (an art of decorating hands and legs with  henna), jewelry etc. She has benefited through hobby classes run by IDEA in community. She aims to be a Police Officer because she likes that profession.    

There are many such children in slums who have been able to dream big due to the support from kind-hearted people like you.

On behalf of all of them, we express our sincere thanks to you.