By Sunita Sharma | Project Director
"Hello everybody,
My name is Shanti.
It means peace.
I spent some time wondering if my life was worth living.
I was not wanted at home, number four of four girls in my household and my father used to say that's four girls to many. He wasn't particularly violent, just indifferent. I did not really know a mother's love either she died when I was very young. We learnt to fend for ourselves. There was no school only chores, endless chores.
Then one day when we awoke and our father was no longer there, as if he was ever really there in the first place. I was only 10 years of age. My sisters were 12, 13 and 15 years old
We lived in what is called a Jopri in India, basically plastic wrapped around a wooden frame, I had never known anything different. We often moved as the police would sometimes come and smash it down . There was no community to care for us. My eldest sister got an infected sore and died, with my other sisters we did our best to bury her near the railway line. We begged at the station, we were so hungry .
And then everything changed. A women with kindly eyes spoke to us and later came to us with a women police officer, we fell at the officers feet begging her not to arrest us, but the woman said we are here to help and held out her hand. That was one year ago.
I had often wondered where love was, but I found it for the first time here - at Rescue Junction. I am going to school my sisters are also going but getting some vocational training also. I had never really known how to smile, how to laugh , how different things are now".
shanti
Note from Sunita- these girls stories are not untypical, sadly but thanks to your kindness we can make all the difference in the world. Please look out for further updates on our centre Rescue Runction in a separate project update very soon. We did not think it right thst we put shantis photograph on this report but I have posted a picture of an abandoned girl child admitted to our centre recently. Shanti was interviewed for her story and not only did she give her permission for us to use her story, she demanded that it be told.
"I want people to know" she said,- "how we were saved"
Sunita
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