From Silence to Strength & Shame to Self- confidence: Budding Female leaders leading the change in Bihar

 

In the iconic Bollywood film Amar Akbar Anthony, three brothers got separated in early childhood and then got reunited as grown-up young men. However, everyone is not that fortunate. Puja (21 years old) had a traumatic childhood when her father passed away after her birth and she was harassed by the step grandmother soon after her mother remarried. Puja (8 years at that time) and her elder sister (11 years) left home for a better option but got separated at Patna junction while deboarding a train. 

Puja’s journey as a single homeless girl started then with lots of ups and downs. At times she met good people, but no help could continue for longer period and every 3-4 months she had to encounter a new (mostly bad) experience. Finally, she managed to reach the Child Care Institutions (CCI) run by Social Welfare Department, Government of Bihar and then her life started stabilizing.

 “I don’t remember I had ever eaten a hearty meal as far as my memory goes. After entering the CCI I felt protected and for the first time I had a full meal and a good sleep in all those years”, shared Puja.

Having keen interest in studies, she passed her 10th board exam with the help of the CCI officials. During her time at CCI, Puja attended different types of skills development programmes supported by UNICEF (through IP). She learnt sewing skills, computer, and financial literacy. The self-confidence and personal hygiene management classes helped build her personality. 

She stayed in the CCI until 18 years of age and then with the help of social welfare Dept, she got a job and became financially independent. Taking a bold step, she invested a big chunk of her first salary in getting admission for 10+2 and successfully completed the same. The aftercare program of Social Welfare Department, with technical assistance from UNICEF helped her all through her journey so far. 

UNICEF extended technical support to the government of Bihar to start the Aftercare program in 2019. Over the last 6 years, the program has significantly strengthened Aftercare services, leading to high-impact, sustainable outcomes for many girls like Puja. 

Currently Puja is pursuing her undergraduate studies with the help of stipend from the State Aftercare Cell. She also received the LIFT (Learning in Fellowship Together) fellowship supported by Udayan Care (Implementing Partner of UNICEF) Under this fellowship, she works with the DCPU (District Child Protection Unit), Child Welfare Committee (CWC), CCIs and Care Leavers to advocate for ensuring that all Care Leavers receive essential legal documents like birth certificate, Aadhar card, bank account etc upon exiting care. 

“From providing self-confidence sessions to connecting with Udayan Care for LIFT fellowship, Social Welfare Department, UNICEF and Udayan Care has supported me and many other girls like me. It is great support for children who are deserted by their own family members and help them build their lives. Building on my experiences and guidance from UNICEF, I will be supporting the care leavers in all my capacity. I am a core group member of the Bihar Care Leavers Alliance, which gives me a strong platform to share challenges, seek guidance and support for others like me. My mission in life is to help as many children as possible so that no child feels scared and helpless as I felt years ago. It has been a long time, and I don’t know where my didi (elder sister) is but every time I help a girl, I feel someone somewhere might be helping my didi (elder sister) and hope to meet my sister one day as well,” shared Puja with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Authored by 
Banku Bihari Sarkar, 
Child Protection Specialist 
Unicef, Bihar

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