Mrs. Reena, 34 years old and a mother of 3 girls, lives in 1 of our 36 guz colony centres, in a rented 1 bedroom home with a temporary kitchen on a slab. She lost her 4th child (a girl), immediately after the birth of the baby, in August 2019.Her conservative family believes that a son was imperative to complete their family, and this translated to pressure on Reena. All she wanted at the time, was to educate her 3 girls, and ensure they don’t lead the similar lives as she has had to. Reena did not enjoy the opportunity to attend school, and her husband studied till the 8th grade himself. He earns a daily wage, a lot of which is used up owing to his habitual drinking.
Reena enrolled herself in our 6-month cutting & tailoring course, in January 2018. Upon completion of the course, she got a job at our centre, along with freelancing at home. Reena earns about Rs. 3,000/- per month, whilst her daughters’ education is paid for by us whenever needed.
Reena’s backstory includes a conservative family from Bihar, no sight of school in her early years and no other form of education. She was homebound most of her life and married at the age of 16. In her words, “I never saw a school. I was unable to see the world and how things functioned outside home. I was scared of everything, unaware and uneducated. I was constantly tip toeing around everybody.”
Reena experienced tremendous amounts of change in a span of 18 months at our program. Not only did her financial condition improve, Reena gained a certain level of confidence that helped her stay self-motivated. Her 3 daughters are now healthier individuals and on their way to becoming educated adults. Although she lives in a small home with 6 family members, Reena has adopted a cleanliness routine and good hygiene habits, which also help set an example amongst others from her community.
Reena expressed that she just started living her life in January 2018 and has a long way to go!
