Tuesday 17 May 2016

One Person at a Time

       Our existing children often drive enrolments at Gubbachi. One fine day two new Marathi-speaking children (Naga & Ari*), walked into the center along with our other children. A piece of paper with the father’s number helped us locate the family, where we discovered three more children; 12, 4 and 2 year old. 
       The mother was limited in her movement due to a fall from the second floor of a construction site at Karwar. The oldest (Ravi) was the care-giver of the family. It was of prime importance for us get him to school. But, the condition at home didn’t allow that to happen. Unless the mother gets on her feet, the kid will not be able to come to school. And this was time for us to connect with the boundary partners. 
       One of our team members reached to her old friend Roopa, who used to work with Mobility India (MI). Roopa, immediately put us across to Mr. Ghosh, MI. Meantime, we were in constant conversion with the family about the need for treatment and importance of education for Ravi. Without wasting much time and not bothering as to who will fund the treatment, we were there at MI. On examination, it was found that, there was some dislocation. It was advised that she wear a belt along her hip and undergo physiotherapy for the next 10 days. On request, MI gave us discount on the consultation charges, belt and physiotherapy charges. But, this was not the end. For the next 10 days, they needed to reach J P Nagar from Kodathi, Sarjapur Road. This means, they would lose 10 days wage. It was a difficult decision for a person who is dependent on daily wages. They got convinced that the treatment will make a difference and they took a brave decision. We could see the result in first 4-5 days itself. And, by end of 20 days, there was a huge difference and she was able to walk without any support. 
      With the mother slowly taking up household chores, Ravi also started engaging with us. The mother is now an employed construction worker while Ravi, Naga and Ari are happily instructing their friends in Kannada… “Oota ke javo” comes naturally to them.
        We hope we are able to continue making connections …with all who are interested in making it a better world for every single individual…one person at a time.
Thanks again to Roopa, for referring us to MI. She made sure she came personally and introduced us to Mr. Ghosh. Of course, thanks to the MI team! They were the real change makers.
* names changed

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