My Story: Alisha Shiledar (KLECET, Belgaum)
Posted on Monday, August 26, 2013 by LEAD
Alisha Shiledar (KLECET, Belgaum)
My LEAD journey began with one little girl named Fatima. Fatima, around 8 years old, desperately wanted to go to school. Her family being poor, though, Fatima had to help her mother every day, who worked as a maid. I would see Fatima every day, and seriously worried about the girl’s condition. I talked to her and made her my friend. Fatima was innocent, but I could see her innocence diminishing. I soon realized that Fatima was not alone, and that there were many other girls in Fatima’s same situation, or worse.
Fatima’s
story inspired my first LEAD project.
I went to the government school near Fatima’s home and learned that most
of the children were only attending school two weeks every month, at the
most. I decided to take action. At first I approached the parents of
the children and tried to explain to them the importance of education, but I was
greeted with opposition.
Many of the parents shouted at me and even slammed the doors in my
face. But I didn’t give up. I couldn’t give up. I then went to the
school. On Saturdays and Sundays
for three months, I volunteered at the school and devised fun ways to teach the
children the basic skills that they were lacking, which also helped generate an
interest for school within the children.
But
ultimately, I knew that helping the children wasn’t enough. I realized that the root of the problem
lay with the parents, and that I would have to convince the parents to let
their children come to school. I
decided to focus on the mothers, and for one month I taught them basic literacy
skills.
Because
of my project, 50 children, including Fatima, are attending school regularly. The
success of this project really improved my confidence. When it happened, I felt so good and
happy. I had no idea my project
would be so successful. 50
children going back to school is a big thing.
Feeling
totally motivated and energized, I completed another project that aimed to improve
the condition of government school children. In my second project, I organized acting, painting, model
making, and singing competitions to showcase children’s talents in two
government schools. The children’s artistic productions were published in local
newspapers.
I
can honestly say that LEAD provoked my inner heart and inspired social
awareness within me. Above all,
though, LEAD challenged me to become an active member of society. I have
started speaking up about issues, which I never used to. I used to hesitate. But now, whenever I feel something is
wrong, I speak up. LEAD has
changed me.
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2 Response to "My Story: Alisha Shiledar (KLECET, Belgaum)"
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Deepak SB Says....Awesome work
keep it up...
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Anonymous Says....Hi
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