“It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!” – Lewis Carroll.

15 years old and living in a high-risk area, Rahul* struggled to fit in with the other teens around him. His mother, a sex worker in Kamathipura was too busy to pay attention to the deviant behaviours he exhibited.

She often found him involved in crimes, loitering and being irregular to school. When Rahul was held back in 9th grade, she could not keep quiet anymore, and after meeting Oasis staff, she began sending Rahul to our daycare center. With good influence and consistent counselling, he has been able to get back on track in school and is not a prey to the negative influences around him.

Last year in Kamathipura, Oasis India worked with over 60 children, providing help with education as well as imparting good values and morals.

*name changed

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“I thought I would get married, have children and live a happy life. But life changed”, says Saraswathi. After 12 years of marriage and two children, she found out about her husband’s two year affair. She begged him to take her back but he decided to leave her and their children. Saraswathi battled life every day trying to figure out how to take care of her children.

Like Marge Piercy, an American poet rightly said, “A strong woman is a woman determined to do something others are determined not be done.” Saraswathi wanted to give her children everything that she did not have growing up. With the help of her mother, she joined Oasis India’s 6-month vocational tailoring course and graduated. She now has her own sewing machine and takes orders to stitch blouses and chudidhars. She uses the money for her children’s education and daily expenses. She fought through life’s challenges by learning a skill and making the most of it.

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At 17, Sahil joined Blue Edge, a 6-month employment readiness programme. A traumatic childhood had forced him to grow up too quickly. He was just 12-years-old when his father abandoned him. He dropped out of school to work at a joinery to earn for his family. Experiencing physical abuse at his work place, he carried a lot of bitterness in his heart. During the first month at Blue Edge, Sahil was always secluded. He did not talk to anyone. In one of the rhythm of life sessions with the Blue Edge students, the staff discussed forgiveness and bitterness. This is when Sahil opened up about the bitterness that he has towards his abuser and his father.

Staff counselled Sahil and helped him understand that he has to come to terms with his past. He could either continue to be bitter or he can leave his past behind and learn to push forward. He took a decision to turn his life around. He started doing well in class and concentrated on developing his personality. He now works at Pizza Hut and is also planning to study further.

Sahil is not just a great student but a responsible citizen. He is one of Oasis India’s change agents. He and his friends also raised funds to supply bedsheets, pillow covers and groceries for an old age home.

The greatest challenge as an organisation is not creating change but creating initiators of change.

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