A story of a 28th year’s old girl who welled up with tears after recognizing her own strengths during the SALT process.

[Dheeraj Lepcha]

I work with a RuralAid NGO. My work with support from Global Fund for children is in Alipurduar District, Kalchini block (state of West Bengal, India). We work in the tea gardens on the issue of trafficking and child labor.

A story of a 28th year old girl who welled up with tears after recognized her own strengths during the SALT visit.  

It was during my SALT, when I met with a 28 years old girl who lived in the Dima Tea garden with her father and sister. She was the eldest daughter from her family. She lost her mother when they were children. Her father works as a permanent tea garden worker in the Dima Estate.

When I was having a SALT conversation, as SALT facilitators observed she was welled up with tears after recognizing her own strengths during the SALT process which has also melted my heart with tears from inside.

During the conversation, she shared the story of her life and struggles she has faced for her family. It was 3 years back as a household maid servant, she went to the State of Haryana for 1 year and to Delhi for 2 years to earn and support her father and sister because she had lost her mother when they were in childhood and no one was there to support her family financially. She has a dream to support her father to build their good house so to complete her dream of house, she flew to Haryana and Delhi for work and recently she has built and fulfilled her dream of house.

She has also shared about one of her proud story that when she was at home before being out of state for work, she went with her friends to look after and prayed to the psychological disorder girl at her village which she never does earlier to have a pray for such person which she feel proud and motivate herself to do more.  Besides, she also shared the Sunday school (Christian kids school usually happens on Sunday) where she taught the kids with songs and motivated the kids in a good path for their life. She think that children are like earth (mud) if we sow good seeds, it will bear good crops/ fruits in a certain time from the life of kids in future.

While in the midst of conversation, I came to know her powerful strength and also reflect those powerful strengths to her such as though she lost her mother and her love, she never loses hope in her life. She as a eldest daughter took responsibility and supported her father financially and to build their house with lots of challenges she faced as a household servant. Hence during the reflection of strength by the facilitator, she welled up with tears as after recognized her own strengths which indicated the impact / touched her inner soul by SALT process. Not only it was touching her but although it has touched the facilitator also. She was realizing herself the strength and power she has which was never known by her own or someone else till now. 

 

In addition, she also shared the message that, let everyone should love and support their family and fulfil the dream of family. She also reflected that “find the inner powerful strength human within you and let it grow”.

The Strengths of her. 

•   Responsibility.
• Supportive and caring.
• Generous heart to pray for others
• Humanity / sets an examples for her villages

 

[M.L. Prabakar]

Congrats Dheeraj. Keep up the good work. Plz discuss and explore this session with one of your co- counsellors without the personal details of the girl. I am sure in that process you will also see your significant strengths. All the best.

[Rituu B. Nanda]

What did you do well in facilitating this conversation, Dhiraj?