Usha Madhu, Class 8, Swami Dayananda AIM for Seva Chatralayam for Girls
Fourteen-year-old Usha Madhu is today a happy, thriving student who dreams of being an engineer. However, her life was not always easy. Usha says her father was always drunk and that he treated her and her younger sister very badly. Usha’s mother passed away after her younger sister was born, and the girls were shunted between the homes of relatives as no one was willing to take care of them in the long term.
To help keep the children safe and to give them a good education, Usha’s uncle enrolled her sister and her in the Swami Dayananda AIM for Seva Chatralayam for Girls in Yelahanka, Karnataka. Today, Usha is in class 8 at Viveka Balamandir School, and is doing well in her studies. She says, “I have not seen my father after I left our village in Andhra Pradesh. This is my home, and I am guided and encouraged to study well here. My sister and I get nutritious meals. We read the newspaper every day, and do a lot of art and craft as well. I’m very happy we came to this hostel. We share a special bond with all the 41 girls living in this hostel, and enjoy every single day.”