Pushpa

Meals are cooked every day at the charity's drop-in centre and delivered throughout the city, to women living on their own and unable to cook for themselves. Some may have deformed, nerve-damaged hands due to leprosy, whilst others may be suffering bouts of illness as a consequence of HIV.

 

Avinash covers a significant distance while delivering the meals in Nagpur's city slums, and during the course of his daily journeys, often spots potential new cases for the charity.

 

On one such day, he saw a girl aged about 17 to 18-years-old sitting on the side of the road. The road bordered Nagpur's red light district area, where many girls are sold and forced into prostitution. Pushpa was oblivious to where she was and it was clear to Avinash that she was lost.

 

Pushpa is virtually deaf and has great difficulty in communicating, so it was impossible for him to establish where she was from and why she was sitting alone in such a dangerous area. However, the young woman clearly felt that she could trust Avinash and so travelled back with him to WIN's shelter for the destitute.

 

Over the course of two months, Leah and Usha have been able to establish a rapport with Pushpa and though hard of hearing, she has a degree of speech that can be understood by the two women and their staff.

 

Pushpa has revealed that she was once married but divorced her husband because he was extremely violent. Her parents then immediately arranged another marriage, but to a significantly older man in his mid 50s. 

 

On the day of the marriage she decided to run away but unfortunately was caught by her father, who then attacked her with a knife. Eventually Pushpa escaped, travelling by train to Nagpur.

 

Pushpa is unable to read or write, which indicates that her hearing impairment may stem from childhood or birth. However, she is gifted in drama and dancing, and often entertains the charity's other beneficiaries. Women In Need has therefore enrolled her onto a local classical dancing course at our rehabilitation and training centre in Wardha.

 

A hearing assessment has since confirmed that she has significantly impaired hearing but with the help of a special hearing aid, will regain 10 to 15 per cent of her audible range, thus improving her ability to communicate.

 

In the meantime, Women In Need is assessing potential skills Pushpa may have, so that her talents can be harnessed to improve her future chances of employment.