Blogging For A Social Cause!!

This post is written as a part of The Indiblogger contest - iDiya For Indichange

I always wanted to be associated with some NGO but never knew how to go by it. I used to do my bit by teaching kids for free at my place wherein the privileged as well as underprivileged kids. I work as an engineer in a reputed IT firm and am also a part of the company’s  musical troupe where in I sing. When it comes to singing am open to sing for any kind of audience and it’s not necessarily the elite class. And so one day, It was announced that the company’s musical troupe would be performing for an orphanage  called as Mukta Jeevan as a part of  their CSR activities. I was more than happy because I somewhere thought that this was the start I have been always looking out for.We started early at around 9 to set off to this place which is very far off from the city and is located in the Shahapur taluka. Here we were given the responsibility to entertain kids aged 5- 15yr. The troupe had been working for a week to entertain their live audience to be. The moment we reached there , all these kids , neatly dressed were brought to the main hall where in we performed , had a merry time and gave them a day of happiness. My heart sank to know they were orphans. I wondered how could someone leave such cute kids back here and never turn up again . I felt connected to the place. I could feel a deep connect to the place, to the kids. I had a talk with the Sister incharge – Sister Barbara just to know about why these kids were here and made a promise to myself that I would be coming back here.

I left the place with a heavy heart but with a determination to do something for the kids over there. I wondered what could be the best thing to be given to these tiny tots . Suddenly it clicked to me , that nothing would be better than giving a computer to the organization so that the kids have the basic computer education. Education is a right that must not be denied to anyone is something i feel strongly and so the decision to get in a personal computer for the kids. Then came the question of funds- how and from where the money would come. To be honest , I am not someone who is in a very financially secure position who could end up giving funds to the organization. I thought of using my writing ability to draw in funds . And here came the first post .Seeing my desperation to get something down for the kids, a friend decided to sponsor in the entire amount for the computer system. I was more than happy with this generous act of his. Then I had an interaction with the sister again and asked whether the organization had a website to its credit and she had responded,”Many people come and go, make a lot of promises .But nothing has been done so far”. To which I responded, “ I will take in the responsibility of getting the website created”. And again I wondered who would help me with everything right from the domain hosting to website creation. I promoted my need on social networking sites and to be honest help flowed in. The  technical team in my  organization came forward and took the first step.Slowly and gradually help started pouring in from unknown quarters. And today we have a rough ,unpolished look of the website www.mukta-jeevan.org

Happy that I had done my bit, I decided to pay a personal visit  to Mukta Jeevan again on the eve of Christmas,along with the system, clothes, chocolates etc . And some of my close friends who had helped me in every step too decided to join me. Sister took me to the kids again,and some of them did recognize me because I had performed. I was thrilled to know that they did  remember me. I had my sets of favourites too in the lots of kids; but I found some of them were missing as well as there new faces in the lot too. I asked sister, “ I see that some of them aren’t here, whereas there are some new additions to the group”. That is when I realized that the kids are HIV positive and some had expired .And the new faces were the ones abandoned by relatives.  My heart sank.
It saddened me to know that even after their death, the relatives don’t turn up to claim their bodies and give a decent funeral which every single person deserves. And then these were kids who were infected with this disease not because it was their fault. They did not deserve a life like this.They don’t deserve a death like this.

The sisters carry out the burial process and have made different burial grounds on the basis of the religion and customs. I happened to visit the burial grounds (which is within the NGO grounds) , they were not good enough. And the biggest hurdle the sister’s face is to carry the body late at night to these places because there are no lights over there.

There are lots of issues that needs to be addressed but this is something I found was the most saddening of all. The kids get everything here, food , clothes , education till they live, medical treatment etc.One thing that I would want these kids to get is a decent funeral , a decent burial ground, a decent death which I would want even for myself. Then why not these kids. And above all these, I would want to create awareness on a large scale that HIV doesn't spread by caring ,sharing or touch. I do my bit by taking my friends over there, who spend time with them, give them the moment of happiness. But I believe it’s not sufficient. An awareness has to be created that HIV doesn’t spread if you touch, hug or care for a HIV infected person. A fear still lurks in the hearts of people that HIV spreads through touch.The kids are so so cute in there , that everytime I go there I don’t feel like coming back. I wonder how the relatives could just abandon them and never turn back. There is a stigma still associated with HIV and awareness has to reach every nook every corner. Creating an awareness , and changing the mindset of the people may take in a long time and may take years  but something that can be changed is the conditions under which the HIV infected people are leading their lives. I believe they too have the right to lead lives just like  any other normal person they have the right to education, medical facilities and to say the least die a decent death. Mukta Jeevan aims at providing the HIV infected people a decent life .And I wish to be  of  whatever little help I can be. Hats off to the sisters who selflessly serve these kids who are no where related to them but have dedicated their lives to the service of the needy. One such person who has inspired me is Sister Barbara(along with the other sisters) with her selfless service to these needy kids.

If I win this contest, or rather you consider this as a winning post, I would want the money to go in the building of a decent crematorium because I believe that is what I would want to do next for the organization.