“Looking Back”
Former team member Suraj Kumar reflects on his tenure at Shishu Sarothi
Namaskar everyone, my name is Suraj Kumar. I worked as a Special Educator and Vocational Instructor in the SPARSH program at Shishu Sarothi for four years, and I want to share my journey with you.
Shishu Sarothi is a wonderful place. We get to do various activities with the children, and the staff regularly attends training programs. I even got to travel to different states for these trainings and exposure visits, which helped me grow and learn a lot. I also got a chance to work on other projects during my time here, gaining a lot of valuable experience. I helped to initiate the screen printing unit at the Vocational Training section in Shishu Sarothi which was a great learning experience.
One memorable experience I want to share is about a student named Nikhil Bansal. Working with Nikhil has been quite a journey, that started around the COVID pandemic and continued to this day. During the lockdown, Nikhil had found it really hard to adapt to the sudden changes in the world around him. He was confined to his house for so long that after the pandemic was lifted also, he just didn't want to come out and began to show some signs of behavioural change too. We had to work hard to convince him over the phone and video calls to come out and adjust to the new world.
After the lockdown was lifted, it was very challenging to bring him back to the centre. We worked with his parents and made plans to encourage him to step out of his house. Slowly, we created a plan to help Nikhil become more independent in commuting to school. His mother would drop him off, and we arranged a rickshaw for his return trip home. We started teaching him to use Google Maps, recognize his surroundings, and navigate his way around on his own. Eventually, Nikhil began using public transport buses and services like Ola and Uber to travel.
He also started visiting shopping malls, buying daily necessities, and using ATMs to withdraw money independently. We focused on enhancing his communication skills and teaching him money concepts to help him become an independent person in the future. Nikhil dreams of starting his own business, and through these experiences, he has learned a lot about the outside world and how to survive in it.
Similarly, we prepared five other adults to become more independent. With support from Sense International India and the project supported Income Generation Activities (IGA) , they were able to start their own small businesses and ventures. This support helped empower them and make them self-reliant.
I am deeply grateful to everyone at Shishu Sarothi for the incredible experiences and for helping me learn and grow. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.