BETTER LIVES …MORE SMILES

Family background

Ishika is an 18-year-old girl, who lives in Sarai Kale Khan. She is from a Muslim family. Ishika’s father has his own house. Ishika also has a younger brother who is in 7th standard and her mother is a housewife. Ishika’s father used to do embroidery work earlier, but due to eye problems, he could not continue.  After lockdown his work was stopped completely and they lost the Rs.4000 they were earning as rent.  As a result, the family suffered from food shortage and needed medicines. BUDS stepped in and provided dry rations and treatment for Ishika’s father’s eye problems from the Mobile Health Van.

Ishika has had albinism (which is a rare skin disorder) since her birth. Such children are called Sunflowers. They cannot sit for long in a place with strong lighting. She starts having headaches(seizures). Ishika had to drop out of school from the fourth grade due her health issues. Ishika has been associated with BUDS Pace Center since November 2020. When we first met Ishika, seeing her, it felt as if we were talking to a foreigner. She looked exactly like a Barbie doll.

When we told her about our PACE program, she was very happy. When Ishika came to the center for the baseline (prior to enrollment in our education program), she said that “Didi, I am very fond of reading, it is very good to see that such a center has also been made where I can study”. Ishika likes to come to the center very much, says “Didi I want to become a doctor when I grow up, I want to learn driving, I want to learn guitar as well, although it is very difficult to learn all this I don’t know whether my wish will be fulfilled or not because of my ill health. That’s why I do not have any friends,since I stay at home”. But Ishika now comes to the center every day and studies very well, writes all her things in the letter and she says that “Didi I want to read my letters to my mother because when my mother reads, she feels very happy”. Ishika cannot see anything written on the board at all. That’s why we get the work done by giving our documentation register, this allows her to write easily.

Ishika was treated for seizures in Safdarjung for 4 years from 2010. But this time Ishika kept on taking the medicines for her seizures regularly. The course of medicines for seizures was completed on 20 July 2021. Due to her illness, she also went into depression. But now Ishika is fine. And is happy in the PACE center. The person who reads the maximum number of library books in the center is Ishika. Now, she has lots of friends too.

We give a constant nutritional diet to Ishika so that she stays fine and healthy. Now Ishika is ready for the 10th class. BUDS will get her enrolled to 10th class as her 18 months PACE program is completed now and now mainstream education is the next step.