Rediscovering the Joy of Childhood
Sumana, aged 16, lives with her maternal grandmother, Annapurna, in one of Kolkata’s city slums. Sumana lost her mother, Sumita, when she was very young. Her father, Gopal, was an alcoholic. He had no concern for the family which caused regular fights at home as Gopal would come home drunk after blowing up half of his income in gambling and drinking. The mental turmoil Sumita endured everyday slowly dragged her into mental depression. One day, after a fight with her husband, Sumita lost her mental stability and committed suicide by setting herself on fire.
After the incident, Gopal took Suman and left for Nepal and hadn’t been back since. It has been 13 years since, Sumana has been living with her grandmother and the two share a close relationship as that of a mother and daughter.
After taking guardianship of Sumana, her grandmother worked very hard to make ends meet and support Sumana. But, as Sumana began growing up, it became difficult for Annapurna to meet all her needs. She worked as a maid in three to four homes to earn a living for herself and her granddaughter. It was at this moment, she learned about Nutan Jeevan Foundation's (NJF) Sponsorship Program from a few neighbours who helped her to enroll Sumana into the program.
The sponsorship program has been making a significant impact in the lives of children like Sumana, by helping them to study and dream big. Sumana is enrolled in the sponsorship program for nine years. The support Sumana receives from the program for her academic and spiritual development enables her to find strength in herself, teaches her to never give up to life’s circumstances and boosts her self-confidence. She is learning moral values from the Scriptures that teaches her to develop her personality and the evening tuition lessons enables her to make significant improvement in her studies.
Besides receiving school supplies, annual school session fees, medical reimbursements and health supplements, Sumana feels the sponsorship program has been pivotal in helping her to pursue her studies, because there are many children her age having similar family constraints who either end up as domestic help or get married.
When asked about what hopes and dreams Annapurna has for Sumana, she replies, “I want her to study as long as she can and become independent so that she doesn’t have to live at the mercy of others. If it wasn’t for NJF’s Sponsorship Program, Sumana wouldn’t have the kind of life she has today. She is able to study, learn many good lessons from the center that she shares with me, but most important, she is able to enjoy her childhood and have dreams for the future.”
When asked what message Sumana would like to leave for friends who support children like her, she says with a smile, “Just like someone is helping us today and changing our story, I too want to grow up and support a child someday to change their story.”
