By Sri Radhika Dasi | Project Leader
Dear Friends,
It has been a long time since we last communicated. We hope you are well. A lot has been happening all this while. Our second batch of graduate girls are now in college. Our, once cute little angels are now turning into graceful young ladies feeling all confident and standing strong. Breaking the cycle of poverty and refusing to submit to the circumstances, this next generation of girls is now all set to lead their own world!
Today we have a small interview with Mithlesh, our second batch graduate student sharing with us a little about her life. Mithlesh is an 18 year old girl now attending college and certainly one of the best student from our school. Although born in a family that had a very turbulent environment within the household, she is very polite, graceful and calm. Her mother has been the pillar of support for her and her two younger brothers. Read on to know more about Mithlesh and her life.
Q: Tell us when you came to Sandipani Muni School and something about your family?
A: I was 7 years old when I joined Sandipani Muni School along with my two younger brothers. At that time my family was going through a very rough patch. My father had a job which was not stable due to his reckless nature.
Often there were fights at home where we used to get beaten up. Few days after I joined the school, he abandoned the family, leaving us to fend for ourselves. My mother then took up a job as a cook and some cow service and that is how we survived.
Q: Did you like going to school ?
A: I always wanted to go to a school and study. My teachers were happy with me because I always scored good marks. They encouraged me by saying that if I study hard I can show extraordinary talent in studies which can make way for great opportunities for me. Unlike other students I was never into too much of extra curricular activities but focused only on studies. My friends says that I am very shy and reserved.
Q: Being the eldest how did you manage both studies and household duties since you had a working mother after your father left?
A: Since childhood I had to perform all the household duties. My mother left for work early mornings so I had to cook, feed my brothers, pack their tiffins, wash the dishes and then leave for school. My mother worked really hard to raise me and my brothers. In year 2007 Sandpani Muni School started a sewing centre which taught ladies to sew which was also a source of income for themselves. My mother knew since her youth how to stitch clothes and therefore she joined the course and till today she is part of it and is doing her job very well. Although her eyesight keeps troubling her due to the intricate work which strains the eyes, yet she does it with precision.
Mithlesh has acquired the qualities of her mother as far as patience and perseverance are concerned. Both mother and daughter experienced tough times but emerged as confident strong women supporting each other at all times.
Q: Tell us about your aspirations?
A: I am now attending college and have taken up science subjects. My dream is to have a bachelors as well as masters degree and then be able to teach. I would like to obtain a government job since these kind of positions are well paid, stable and secure. I would like to provide enough for the family so there is never a shortage of facilities in our lives. My brothers have grown up now although they are still in school, the elder of the two is also getting trained to become an electrician which he attends after school.
Mithlesh’s desire to support her family is commendable, since she witnessed how hard her mother had to work to raise her three children.
Q: What is your opinion about marriage?
A: Marrige will only happen when I will be able to stand up on my own two feet and am capable to earn enough for my family so that I do not end up suffering like my mother. I will choose what I want to become and with whom I can spend my life respectably and happily and for this I need to work hard now. I am glad to have been given the opportuinity to prove myself and nothing can prevent me from achieving my goal now.”
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
