The Girls’ Stories

Pallavi

After Pallavi’s father died from TB she dropped out of school in the fifth standard to contribute to the family’s maintenance. She worked as a domestic servant earning 100 Rupees per month. She was harassed by her mother who spent all her money on alcohol. Pallavi had to ask for food at her workplace. One day her mother disappeared. She stayed at home on her own where there was no food, until a woman took her to the police station. From there she was referred to the Child Help Line and to the Child Welfare Committee who brought her to the Baale.
Pallavi has been at the Baale for six years and is currently in 1st PUC. She has become an engaging and confident girl with ambitions to become a fashion designer.

Madhumala
After an accident with fire at her home, Madhumala’s parents started neglecting her, eventually throwing her out of the house. Her mother tried to place her in domestic service, but her grandmother rescued her and sent her to Bangalore. In Bangalore she lived on the street before being picked up by a slum family who directed her to Paraspara trust and the Baale.
Madhumala is currently in 1st PUC and is dedicated and hardworking. She hopes to carry on to higher education and become a computer software engineer. With funds secured by the Paraspara Trust, Madhumala has undergone surgery to address her disfigurement but will need more procedures in the near future.

Megha
Megha grew up in a happy and loving family until her mother died in an accident. Her father married again and Megha’s stepmother made her stay at home instead of sending her to school. Her stepmother used to beat her if she failed to complete all her tasks. Megha ran away from home and went to live with her aunt who also expected her to take care of the entire household. Her Aunt was addicted to Arrack – a coarse liquor which contains 54% alcohol. One night she broke an Arrack bottle and fearful of her aunt’s reaction, she slept in the streets overnight. Her aunt beat her the next day.

Her father brought Megha back home but her stepmother insisted that she leave so she was sent for domestic work in Shivaji Nagar. Her father took all of her small salary. Megha was expected to look after the family’s children but received neither proper food nor an appropriate place for sleeping. One day she ran away back to her aunt’s house, where she was found by Paraspara volunteers and referred to the Baale.

Megha completed her 2nd PUC after ten years at Baale Mane. She is now living in the city and working in Administration at an IT company. She is the first girl to leave having completed her education and is an inspiration to the other girls.

Fathima

After her father’s death, Fathima lived with her mother in a small hut in Kopala village. Her mother worked as a coolie and Fathima was enrolled in the nearby governmental school. She was not good at studying, so her mother sent her to a tuition class in the evening. The tutor was very rude to her and punished her physically for not completing her work. The tutor had an affair with her mother, who gave birth to a boy baby. After the baby’s birth, Fathima was made to carry out all the household work. One morning, she woke up to find that her mother had died due to an electric shock. After her mother’s death she was taken to her aunt’s house and was well looked after until her aunt lost her husband. Fathima was again made responsible for all the household work and her aunt started harassing her. A schoolmaster living next door to her aunt’s house attended a Paraspara Trust State level child rights workshop and reported what he had seen. As a result Fathima was brought to the Baale.

After seven years at the Baale, Fathima is studying in 10th standard and is doing very well. She is a very sociable and happy individual. Her goal is to continue to do well in her studies so that she may pursue a career in the Police or become a computer engineer.