The Grassroots Girls Initiative
Victim Yesterday, Inspiration Today!
- By Vineeta Gupta on March 5th, 2011
- Category: Blog, Grassroots Girls Initiative, South Asia
Delhi, India – “I want to make sure that Sankalpam is always a loving and safe home for my children,” said Sumitra Mokkapati, misty-eyed, as she shared her goal for Ankuram with me during a GFC-sponsored organizational development workshop in Delhi. Sumitra is the executive director of Ankuram Woman and Child Development Society, a community-based organization in Hyderabad, India. Sankalpam Home is Ankuram’s temporary residential shelter for girls who have been victims of trafficking or sexual exploitation, and it is supported by GFC. The shelter provides the girls with opportunities to continue their education or establish their own small enterprises. It currently houses 50 girls, spanning in age from 6 to 18. Girls under 15 attend formal school, while girls over 15 continue their education or participate in vocational training for three hours a day.
Sumitra’s eyes light up when she shares the success of one of her children, as she fondly calls the girls at Sankalpam. Meherunnisa, now 26, came to live at Sankalpam 11 years ago, after she was rescued from a brothel in Mumbai. She was a frail, sick, and withdrawn 15-year-old who hardly spoke. Years of counseling and support transformed her. “Today she has a college degree and works for a corporation. She even brought her mother from the brothel in Mumbai to live with her,” said Sumitra, with pride and joy. Meher, as her Sankalpam sisters call her, regularly shares her experiences with newcomers to the shelter, providing inspiration and hope. She is a living example of the promised future that Ankuram is bringing into girls’ lives every day.
Comments