Training Space for 600 Poor Girls in Mumbai

Dear friends,

Once again thanks for supporting out programmes with much needed donations. We request you continue the same although the money will reach us later than before due to some bureaucratic issues.

Our past students Durga and Sneha have completed undergraduate studies and from their first salaries they donated a sum of Rs 10,000/- (USD 145.00 approx.) to Vacha. We are delighted by their appreciation of Vacha’s programme of social education from age 10. These are the girls who had to face the community wrath in their attempts to make their basti (‘slum’) safe for girls and women. It was the photograph they took of boys hanging out at an unofficial bike park space near community toilets for women and passing lewd remarks to girls on way to relieve themselves. Very few homes have managed some sort of private toilet in a basti. Finally the bike park was also removed from that space. One positive support they had was from their father who stood by them. This does not usually happen. Parents can be quite conservative coming as they do from some of the most socioeconomically backward areas in the country.

Durga and Sneha are lucky as they had due documents to prove their occupancy. As demolitions of the basti started their family got a 300 sq. ft. apartment in a proper building of bricks and cement concrete. The space is, of course, too small but it is better than where they had lived. Plus it has a toilet inside and bathroom so they are able to live with dignity.

One of our brightest girls Sabah  has also completed college and is employed by Shadhika, one of our supporting foundations, itself. Sabah had also started with Vacha’s programme for girls’ empowerment from age ten. Sabah’s leadership traits were encouraged by Vacha and she gained from our leadership training. She had even gone to represent Vacha to Delhi in a major programme chaperoned by a senior Vacha staff member.

We wish all the three girls, now young women, great success in life.

Sonal Shukla