11
year old Arati, 8 year old Bharti and 6 yr old Priti were living at MST
Construction site in Dhanori with their parents and a younger sister who was
strangely named "Nakhushi"
which means "unhappiness" in Marathi when the Door Step School-
Every Child Counts team met them during a survey of construction sites in
June 2014. Their mother Nandabai Suresh
Hirwale, works at the site , supporting her husband Suresh Hirwale who is ill
and cannot work and her 4 children.
When
asked why the youngest one was name "Nakhushi", the parents explained
that born after 3 girls, they were expecting the fourth child to be a boy and
therefore named her Nakhushi, reflecting their mental state when she was born .
Arati
, the eldest, had attended school till 5th standard in their native village of
Yavatmal. With the parents moving to Pune for employment, she had to take up
the responsibility of looking after the youngest.. Her younger sisters Priti
and Bharti had never been to school.
Though
initially reluctant to send their children to school in the city, Nandabai
showed up on the day of School admissions and asked that 2 of her children be
admitted to school. She was to visit the hospital for her husband's treatment,
but she chose to postpone that to
accompany her children to school. She was determined that her daughters should
have a better life than she did and was convinced that education was a means.
Arati
was left behind to take care of the youngest "Nakhushi". She was not
happy about it and wanted to join the others. Her mother was reluctant to leave
the infant alone even though her husband home most of the time.
Bharti
and Priti have started attending the PMC School in Dhanori regularly and use
the School Van arranged by Door Step School to reach school.
Realizing
that their child would carry the burden of her name, "Nakhushi " was given a new name "Pallavi"
by her parents. This is not just a
change of name. It is change in attitude towards girls... change for progress
... It is the change that we all want to see.. a change in the right direction.!!!
Arati wants to join her
siblings at school.. how can we help?. Daycare facilities at Construction sites
are virtually non-existent. That is
another problem for another day !. But the fact is that 2 young girls are attending school today and one more who will possibly
attend when she is old enough, gives us a lot of hope and encouragement to
continue the work we are doing through the Every
Child Counts - Campaign for universal elementary Education !.
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