On Thursday Claudian and I drove to Ahmednagar to visit Snehalaya. Our host Shashikant Satbhai, a volunteer. We were given a tour of the place and none of the reading I had done on the project came anywhere close to what we saw. It was unbelievably amazing.
http://www.snehalaya.org/
And if that was not enough, Shashikant would tell us the background story of the people we would meet. Each incident moving, every single person a hero in the true sense of that word.
The most inspiring story was of one of the beneficiaries of the program. An elderly lady who had been rescued by the program had used her 2nd chance to make a living by selling vegetables and continued to assist and volunteer at Snehalaya.
A few years ago, she inherited a prime plot of land in Pune city worth over 20 million rupees. And instead of using her good fortune to retire and have a well deserved comfortable lifestyle, she donated the land to the organization to start a center. In spite of efforts to get her to change her mind, she did not relent. She wanted her good fortune to be used to give 2nd opportunities to others, just as she had got one.
And as if all of this was not enough, we got the opportunity to meet the founder Girish Kulkarni at his modest home. Prof. Kulkarni is a professor at the Ahmednagar college. As soon as we entered we were informed by his wife that the reason he was home, was he was just discharged from the hospital a couple of hours back and she refused to let him leave home. The reason he was hospitalized, Exhaustion from Overwork.
The story of his life is summarized well on the Snehalaya website.
"
At 14-years old Girish Kulkarni turned up to his school friend's home. He did not know until he arrived that his friend and her mother were living and working in a brothel, in shockingly violent conditions. The brothel keeper was displeased by his visit and in a rage, inflicted indescribable abuse on the girl and her mother, making Girish stay to watch. Appalled by the brutality he had been forced to witness, the young Girish made a promise to himself. He resolved there and then to devote his life to ending the atrocities faced by trafficked and enslaved women and children in India.
"
And that was the beginning of Snehalaya.
"
Snehalaya means 'Home of Love', and was founded in 1989 to provide support for women, children and LGBT communities, who have been affected by HIV and AIDS, trafficking, sexual violence, and poverty. We operate in Ahmednagar, a town and district in the agricultural region of Maharashtra, India, and provide services to over 15,000 beneficiaries.
We are more than an NGO, we are a strong and passionate family, united in the belief that no one should stand alone. Many of our staff first came to us as beneficiaries to use our services. We understand that resilience - the desire to survive - is an extraordinary force. A sense of belonging and compassion can nurture even the most destitute and fragile people to not just survive, but to thrive in life. We welcome everyone with an open heart and without prejudice.
"
This 10 minute video on Snehalaya beautifully highlights the work of the organization.Its a must watch.
The Extraordinary Family Of Snehalaya. A Home Of Love
Narrated by Seema Sharma
The visit to Snehalaya and the meeting with Prof. Kulkarni was truly humbling. It highlighted to me how little most of us had done to make a difference. And inspiring leading me to make a commitment.
All of us may not be able to do what Prof. Kulkarni and Snehalaya have done. However we can definitely support these amazing organizations with our time and money.
I intend to. I hope you do too.
http://www.snehalaya.org/
And if that was not enough, Shashikant would tell us the background story of the people we would meet. Each incident moving, every single person a hero in the true sense of that word.
The most inspiring story was of one of the beneficiaries of the program. An elderly lady who had been rescued by the program had used her 2nd chance to make a living by selling vegetables and continued to assist and volunteer at Snehalaya.
A few years ago, she inherited a prime plot of land in Pune city worth over 20 million rupees. And instead of using her good fortune to retire and have a well deserved comfortable lifestyle, she donated the land to the organization to start a center. In spite of efforts to get her to change her mind, she did not relent. She wanted her good fortune to be used to give 2nd opportunities to others, just as she had got one.
And as if all of this was not enough, we got the opportunity to meet the founder Girish Kulkarni at his modest home. Prof. Kulkarni is a professor at the Ahmednagar college. As soon as we entered we were informed by his wife that the reason he was home, was he was just discharged from the hospital a couple of hours back and she refused to let him leave home. The reason he was hospitalized, Exhaustion from Overwork.
The story of his life is summarized well on the Snehalaya website.
"
At 14-years old Girish Kulkarni turned up to his school friend's home. He did not know until he arrived that his friend and her mother were living and working in a brothel, in shockingly violent conditions. The brothel keeper was displeased by his visit and in a rage, inflicted indescribable abuse on the girl and her mother, making Girish stay to watch. Appalled by the brutality he had been forced to witness, the young Girish made a promise to himself. He resolved there and then to devote his life to ending the atrocities faced by trafficked and enslaved women and children in India.
"
And that was the beginning of Snehalaya.
"
Snehalaya means 'Home of Love', and was founded in 1989 to provide support for women, children and LGBT communities, who have been affected by HIV and AIDS, trafficking, sexual violence, and poverty. We operate in Ahmednagar, a town and district in the agricultural region of Maharashtra, India, and provide services to over 15,000 beneficiaries.
We are more than an NGO, we are a strong and passionate family, united in the belief that no one should stand alone. Many of our staff first came to us as beneficiaries to use our services. We understand that resilience - the desire to survive - is an extraordinary force. A sense of belonging and compassion can nurture even the most destitute and fragile people to not just survive, but to thrive in life. We welcome everyone with an open heart and without prejudice.
"
This 10 minute video on Snehalaya beautifully highlights the work of the organization.Its a must watch.
The Extraordinary Family Of Snehalaya. A Home Of Love
Narrated by Seema Sharma
The visit to Snehalaya and the meeting with Prof. Kulkarni was truly humbling. It highlighted to me how little most of us had done to make a difference. And inspiring leading me to make a commitment.
All of us may not be able to do what Prof. Kulkarni and Snehalaya have done. However we can definitely support these amazing organizations with our time and money.
I intend to. I hope you do too.
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