COMMUNITY CENTRE FAMILIES – Foster Care Society

Family 1

The mother in this family is an inspiring community advocate who lives near our family support center. Her husband was worried she was going to leave his home and chained her for four years, only unlocking her to use the toilet. When he died unexpectedly she was left with no financial support and five daughters and one son, aged 1-13 years old. Money was raised for her by the community but was taken by other family members, which caused her significant grief. Her eldest daughter then fell ill with typhoid and died in a hospital. During this time the mother stayed with her, and upon returning home she discovered that her younger daughter had an immunodeficiency disorder and pneumonia. She recovered after one month, but these events caused the mother to stay at home for two years while in grief.

In an effort to help her situation, she began taking up stitching work and enrolled two of her daughters in a good local school. The oldest daughter is now doing stitching work at home. She has taken stitching trainings provided by FCS. and her son has enrolled in Palanhar, where they hope to attend one day. During the summer camps held by FCS she brings her younger children as well as neighborhood children who want to attend, ensuring their safe arrival and return. She hopes to attend a self-help group where she can receive a stipend and enroll her eldest daughters in income generation schemes related to stitching so they can continue to support the family.

Family 2

The mother and father in this family have been married for five years and have a four-year old son. The father was diagnosed with throat cancer a year and a half ago, which has rendered him unable to work. The rest of her family is either unable to work or do not earn enough to support the family. As her village did not educate girls, she has never attended school and is not literate. Her son was attending school, but had to drop out due to the family not being able to pay for school fees. He says that he likes school because he learns poems, gets to play and color, and enjoys studying. The mother is now seeking stitching work so that she can support her family without leaving the home. ParivarSahyog Kendra is seeking opportunities for her son to receive an education sponsorship and for her to receive stitching jobs she can do at home.

Family 3

Another family that has been supported by FCS has a mother and father who have been married for six years. The father has significant heart issues which require frequent doctor visits. This made it hard for them to contribute to the household they were in with the father’s parents, so they were kicked out. He is working 11 hours every day but is not able to earn much money. The mother has stitching jobs at home but does not earn enough to cover the family’s needs. She went to school until seventh grade and hopes that her five year old son will receive a better education than her. At one point she sold all of her gold jewelry in order to pay a debt owed for the son’s school fees. The mother hopes to get help for her husband’s medical bills and her son’s education. She hopes to do this by connecting with income generation activities through the family support center.

Family 4

The girl in this family was left with her aunt and uncle at the age of five months after her father became addicted to drugs and her mother left the household. She is now being raised as their daughter along with two older sons aged 16 and 17, who were unable to attend school past 5th grade for financial reasons. Her uncle has suffered severe health problems which have severely limited his ability to work. The two brothers are working, but are not able to provide enough for the family by themselves. They have tried to secure legal rights from the father in order to receive Palanhar benefits, but he has been difficult to meet because he lives far away and is unreliable due to his addiction. The family is hoping to find a donor in order to continue the girl’s private education to help secure her future.

Family 5

The woman in this family married at the same time as her sister. Her sister was sold by her husband and committed suicide after becoming very depressed. The first woman was very frightened and received permission from community leaders to separate from her husband and returned to her parents. After a few years her family placed her into a second marriage despite her being hesitant to marry again. Eventually one of her husband’s family members started a rumor that she was a prostitute and unfaithful. The husband then became a severe alcoholic and would physically and verbally abuse her. She then ran away with her two daughters to live with her parents in Udaipur. Her husband sent a recording saying that he wants custody of their daughters and afterwards will kill the woman and her family.

She later got into an accident and broke her collarbone, and her surgery was a failure which means she will never fully recover. This has prevented her from doing heavy work, but she works as a maid as often as possible and earns about 500 INR a month on average. Her mother works as well, but her father has health issues which prevent him from holding a steady job. Her daughters are now 2 and 3 years old, and currently in nursery school. The school has been flexible with fees due to their family situation, but this will not last much longer. She has decided that she will send her children to an orphanage if she is unable to take care of them due to her current physical and mental state. Sponsoring her family would help keep them together and avoid her children being sent to an institution.

Family 6

Introduction

Shayda Ji, a 45-year-old widow, is perhaps taking care of her late sister’s daughter, Yasmeen, as she does not have any children of her own.

Yasmeen lost her parents within a span of four days during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The demise of Yasmeen’s father was due to pneumonia. Unable to cope with the shock of her husband’s death, Yasmeen’s mother also passed away just four days later. After the death of her parents, Yasmeen found herself in a very lonely situation. Sadly, within 14 days of the demise of Yasmeen’s parents, Shayda Ji’s husband also passed away.

Family Situation

Currently, Shayda lives with her niece, Yasmeen. Due to Shayda’s poor mental health, she struggles to perform other tasks efficiently. Shayda, residing in Ajmer, receives financial assistance of 2000 rupees from her brothers, which she finds challenging to manage for household expenses.

Educational Background of the Children

Yasmeen, who is 15 years old, is currently studying in the 8th grade. She resides with her maternal aunt, Shaheda Ji.

Involvement in the Plan

The local Anganwadi centre’s workers informed the team of the Foster Care Society about Shayda’s family. The Foster Care Society team worked on categorising Shayda under the widow category in the Jan-Aadhar (public database) and including Yasmeen in the orphan category. This was done to facilitate their inclusion in the guardianship programme and widow pension. The team from the Foster Care Society also assisted in preparing the necessary documents.

In the year 2021, Shaheda Ji facilitated the preparation of all necessary documents, following which her pension application was submitted and she began receiving the pension.

In 2022, Yasmeen was also enrolled in the guardianship programme under the orphan category, and subsequently, she began benefiting from the guardianship programme. Additionally, in the urban area, another organisation providing free rations to poor and widowed women was identified. The Foster Care Society team assisted in registering Shayda for this programme to avail of free rations.

Conclusion

After joining the guardianship programme, Yasmeen’s education is consistently supported, and financial assistance from the programme is providing valuable help. The Foster Care Society continues to monitor and follow up with the family regularly.

Family 7

Introduction

Parveen, a 34-year-old widow, has a daughter and a son. In the year 2020, Parveen’s husband was diagnosed with mouth cancer. However, he kept this information hidden from his family and did not undergo any treatment. In 2021, when his health deteriorated significantly, they went to Geetanjali Hospital for treatment. Through the examination, Parveen’s wife learned that Irshad Ji had reached the last stage of mouth cancer. Parveen’s husband’s health worsened considerably due to cancer, and the doctor recommended chemotherapy. However, after some time, they stopped the chemotherapy, and the hospital visits also became infrequent.

Family Situation

Currently, Parveen lives alone with her two children. She has three sisters-in-law who reside in different cities.

Educational Background of the Children

Parveen has two children. The elder daughter, Bushra, is 14 years old and is currently studying in the 9th grade. The younger son, Anas, is 13 years old and is in the 6th grade. Additionally, since 2023, both children have been enrolled in the Foster Care Society’s guardianship programme.

Involvement in the Plan

After the death of Parveen’s husband in August 2022, the Foster Care Society team provided information about the guardianship programme to Parveen in December 2022. The team also assisted her in the process of joining this program. The widow pension form was filled out, and she started receiving the pension in January 2023. Subsequently, in March 2023, the guardianship programme form was filled out, but they faced difficulties in preparing the required documents. The team from the Foster Care Society resolved this issue, and from April 2023, both of Parveen's children began to benefit from the guardianship programme.

Conclusion

After joining the guardianship programme, the children’s education is being consistently supported. The financial assistance from the guardianship programme has provided valuable help. The Foster Care Society continues to monitor and follow up with the family regularly.

“I sincerely express my gratitude to the Foster Care Society. The team at Foster Care Society has assisted me in preparing the necessary documents for enrolling both of my children in the guardianship program. Their support during my difficult times has been invaluable.” Parveen Bano