Meet Your Didi: Seema

A mother of two beautiful children, we met Seema two years ago when she decided to begin a new journey with Vatsalya, our partner NGO in India. Since then, her perspective on life has widened. Just this year she took a bold step with her family, and decided to send her children more than four hours away to attend school at Vatsalya Udayan. This decision did not come lightly. She contemplated the action for a long time, discussed it with us and finally convinced her husband it was the right thing to do. Ultimately, Seema wanted to provide her children with the best environment and where they could focus on their studies, away from an unhealthy and harsh environment where they could be easily distracted. While she had their best interests at heart, Seema’s young children found it very hard to live without her, and she eventually had to request to let them come back to her. However, once home, her children often talked about how nice it was to stay and study in Vatsalya. Seema hopes that next academic season, when they are a bit older, she can try the arrangement again.

The Seema we met a few years ago has changed in to someone new. A woman who once was very timid, submissive and fearful by nature, Seema has become bold, strong and very clearly the leader of her family’s affairs. Recently, she played a major role in organizing a wedding for her husband’s niece. It was a love marriage, vehemently opposed by the girl’s father and other family members, but Seema confronted everyone and made sure that the girl was married to the boy she loved.

Seema is setting an example of progressive change. Her income is what keeps the family going – providing daily food, school fees for her children, medicine for her husband (who remains unemployed the majority of the year), and saving for her family’s future. This huge responsibility does not seem to scare her any more, and she is on path of new growth. It is extremely reassuring to see the changes that have occurred in her in life and demeanor.

Your support guarantees Seema will be able to continue to support her children’s education and expand her design skills at the center.

With your support, we can continue to make Seema's dreams for her family and herself a reality.