Rani, aged 12 years old

• First attended class: 2nd year
• Favourite thing at the centre: Maths, writing words and singing songs
• Least favourite thing at the centre: She loves everything
• When she grows up she would like to be a doctor.

• First attended class: 1st year
• Favourite thing at the centre: Maths and dance
• Least favourite thing at the centre: Big words and being told off
• When she grows up she would like to be a doctor.

Sachin entered the Aadhar Kendra Sponsorship Programme at the Tadiwala Road slum in 2007. He studies in the 3rd standard at Zilla Parishad Primary School, his favourite subject in school is art and he enjoys drawing and playing marbles. He is in good health.

His family belongs to the Hindu community. Sachin's grandmother is the only earning member in the family. She looks after Sachin’s ill mother and brother who is 13. Considering his family's situation, (with the permission of his family) Sachin stays at City of Child, Kasurdi.

Snehal is 19 and has been a member of the DIYA Centre since it opened. She regularly attends spoken English classes, table tennis and dance classes. She currently is studying in college and aims to be a teacher one day.

Khudeja is 16 years and has been a member at the DIYA centre since it opened. Her parents are not in favour of sending her to study in college. She often drops in at the youth centre to participate in games and awareness programmes on HIV/AIDS and other programmes.

She also attends the sewing classes conducted at the centre. She would like to attend college and study fashion designing. She enjoys reading in her free time especially religious books.

Abhishek Lonare, age 5 is a part of the Deep Griha creche for the past one year. Soon after Abhishek, his younger brother Pradeep was also enrolled in the creche.

Their mother is the only earning member in the family. She works as a maid servant. She found out about the crèche facility at Deep Griha from her neighbours. She sends both her children to the Deep Griha because “Mi majhya mulanna ikde sodun befikir houn kaama la jau shakte. Mi ghari ektich kamavnari aslyane, mala ya mulanna don veleche jevan hi dyala kathin hote. Ikde tyanna ek velche jevan va kahi ajar jhala tar aushad –pani kele jaate(Once I drop my kids here, I can go to work without any worries. I’m th only earning person in the family so my income is little which makes it really difficult to provide two meals a day for my children. Here they get one meal a day and basic medication in case they fall ill). She adds, “Mulanchi ikde chaan kalji ghetli jaate. Barech khel, gaani, goshti aani sarvat mahatvache - changlya savayi shikavlya jatat. (They look after my the kids very well. They teach them many games, songs, stories and most importantly good values)”

Looking at the helpers in creche, Abhishek has now learned to look after his younger brother affectionately. Both of them enforce the rules they follow in the crèches at home, such as wash hands before eating food

The main aim of the Disha Ladies is to raise awareness and educate people across all of Pune about HIV and AIDS. They do this in a number of ways including performing street play's, which at first was quite daunting for the ladies but they've now done so much street theatre and work within the community that it is no problem for them.

Most of the ladies came to know about the job through an advertisement that was placed on the community's board in the local area and initially even their families and friends were uncertain as to why the women were working in this area. Initially they said that it wasn’t good work for them, but in time they have come to recognise and understand the importance of what DISHA is doing and are now being 'calm and supportive'.

One of the ladies favourite aspects of the role so far has been a day spent in Mahabaleshwar, during this day the DISHA team received training, visited a hospital to observe and to learn skills in counseling, as well as team building with a picnic.

The most challenging aspect of their role to date has been working to create an ideal community in the area they work, at first they received opposition but over time they have come to receive a different and more open responses, mirroring the response they received from their own families. The women work very closely together and have had has some very challenging times like when their first beneficiary past away. They were initially frightened but with the support of each other, their family and the community they have learnt to handle the difficult ocassions.

Chitra has been working at DGS since 1994, although she first came to Deep Griha to attend a sewing class to enhance her education and skills. With the support of her husband and some of the Deep Griha employees she began as a caretaker in the mobile crèche before receiving training for teaching in the crèches and balwadis. Her current role is as a part time balwadi teacher and through her training she is able to offer hobby classes such as arts and crafts and puppetry in the summer holidays. 
As well as teaching Chitra has been actively involved in fieldwork in the community which has given her a good understanding of the social situation, the financial problems and psychological issues within the areas Deep Griha works. Through meeting the individuals in the community she has been inspired to start writing short stories which she says gives her great satisfaction. It has been important for Chitra to keep furthering her education so she can share her skills with the children and her colleagues. Chitra has received awards for her work which has inspired her to continue learning, empowering her and empowering others.

Sunanda has been working with Deep Griha Society (DGS) for the past 18 years. In order to increase her family income she took a job as a balwadi teacher at DGS and she says ‘what better way to earn money than to do something I enjoy - working with children.’ Sunanda says that she loves her job as it helps her to forget about all of her worries when she’s with the kids. She finds it important to treat the children in the Balwadi as her own, making it easier for her to understand and relate to any problems they may have.
She not only teaches at DGS, she also takes advantage of the opportunities to further her skills such as taking a basic computer course and continued teacher training. Sunanda says ‘all this experience has helped me enhance the way I think and teach.’ Over time she has gained a better understanding of the children’s needs and is able to react according to each individual’s situation. The dedication of the Deep Griha staff is as strong now as when she first started although they are constantly striving to improve and strengthen the work that the NGO carries out in the community, such as maintaining a good level of communication between the parents and teachers.
There is a lasting impact from this basic education, the students develop a keen interest and are motivated to further their studies. Many of the balwadi students are now studying in college. Sunanda has seen many of the students grow over the years and says ‘today, when they come back to us with their success stories I feel very proud.’

Synygy is a global company, working in the sales compensation market and is a highly experienced provider of solutions for solving problems related to the management of sales compensation plans. In  2005 Synygy helped to fund the building of a cricket pitch for Deep Griha’s rural project ‘City of Child’. On the day of the grand opening the director of Synygy, Chetan Shan, unveiled the new facility and the inauguration was completed with a match between the Synygy employees and residents and staff from City of Child.
The cricket pitch has been invaluable for fostering good relations between the centre and the local community as regular tournaments are organised enabling positive integration through a pastime that is much celebrated in India. The impact of this will be long lasting and will make a significant impact to the experience of the residents of City of Child.

Cerillion is one of the fastest growing business support system vendors in the telecom industry. They were one of the initial businesses to get on board with the ‘Wake Up Pune’ campaign (which aims to raise awareness and provide education surrounding the stigma of HIV) and become an HIV positive company.  The staff at Cerillion have received HIV awareness training and volunteer at the different events organised within this campaign. In September 2008 Cerillion was the sole sponsor of the Condom Cricket Tournament that enabled 32 college teams across Pune to participate in the event. The overall aim was to raise awareness and provide a forum for open dialogue about HIV and condom use, as well as enjoying a good game of cricket. Cerillion are also sponsoring the ‘HIV Positive’ CD which will be released shortly. This CD will include the ‘HIV Positive’ song as well as educational multimedia tools. Cerillion have taken a key role in supporting the ‘Wake Up Pune’ campaign. The CD will be distributed at the next major Wake Up Pune event Join The Fight, Battle of the Bands where Cerillion will be providing volunteers to help with the organisation and running of the event. It is only with the help of companies like Cerillion that Wake Up Pune’s important message about HIV awareness is spread across Pune.

Satyam is a leading global business and information technology company, delivering consulting, systems integration, and outsourcing solutions to clients in over 20 industries.
Satyam has set up a foundation that works to support and strengthen the vulnerable and underprivileged sections in urban areas. Hoping to transform the quality of life through technology and volunteerism.
Satyam Foundation has been working closely with Deep Griha since the end of 2006 when they got involved in the Deep Griha Integrated Service for HIV and AIDS  (DISHA) programme. Along with Deep Griha they are one of the partners in the ‘Wake Up Pune’ campaign and have taken an active role in many of the WUP events such as a candlelight vigil to show solidarity for people living with HIV and The Global AIDS Action Week as well as providing HIV information at local Mall events.
Pune is fast developing into a cosmopolitan and fashionable city, with a large increase of jobs in the corporate sector. The individuals growing up in the slums are becoming further marginalized as the gap between rich and poor widens and they do not have access to the opportunities provided by these developments. Both Deep Griha and Satyam Foundation are working to bridge the divide and empower the marginalized so they too can take advantage of these job opportunities. One of the ways Satyam Foundation has made a considerable difference has been by setting up a vocational IT course at Deep Griha for people living in the slums, providing 35 computers and volunteers to facilitate the course. It is only through their generous giving of time and resources that over 150 students have graduated from the computer course, over 75% of these getting jobs in good firms.
In addition, as part of the ‘Wake Up Pune’ campaign Satyam Foundation has organised a workshop entitled 'Positive Living- Sharing Workshop' for the PLHIV (people Living with HIV) throughout Pune city. It included sessions on Role of Exercise and Role of Nutrition on Health, Role of Medication and Role of Mental Health, by eminent doctors and a session on the HIV Bill by experts in the field. 56 PLHIV participated in the workshop; there was positive feedback and requests for further workshops in the future.
The volunteers have expressed that this is a great opportunity for staff to educate themselves, interact with people from all walks of life and give back to their local community.

Mrs.Nisha Naidu has been working as a facilitator for the Sure Start Project for the last 2 years. The project area where she conducts her work is in a densely populated slum close to Pune railway station. Most of the people there live in tin sheds and living conditions are very unhygienic due in part to the narrow roads, lack of drainage systems and bad sanitation. There is also a lot of violence and crime within this area, partly because of the lack of education and broken homes. During her time there she met a woman called Meera who was 4 months into her pregnancy. Meera lived with her husband and mother-in-law in a small hut within the slum. Her husband was a labourer and worked from early in the morning till 9.30pm. When Nisha first met Meera she became worried because Meera refused to speak. Nisha then contacted Meera’s mother-in-law who explained that Meera had become depressed after the death of her first baby. Meera had given birth to her child at home without proper medicine or qualified staff and the baby had died within two days. Meera was feeling bad about her current pregnancy and dismissed the intervention of hospitals. After a month, Nisha was able to communicate with Meera to educate her about the importance of anti-natal care, for both mother and child. Meera was also educated on the importance of healthy eating, anemia, birth preparations and being aware of physical complications that can arise during or after a delivery. In addition Nisha discussed the issues of money and healthcare, emphasising the importance of medical check ups. Meera had refused to register at the hospital, but with the help of Nisha, she finally agreed to participate in the Sure start weekly sessions at Deep Griha. Here she was examined by a female doctor and with her advice Meera registered at the hospital. She was 8 months pregnant by this stage. After 9 months Meera successfully delivered a baby girl at the hospital weighing 3 kg. Meera said that it was because of the work of the Sure Start team that she had been able to get through the pregnancy and now had a beautiful baby girl. She had accepted going to the Doctor, had registered with the Hospital, had a blood examination, taken vaccines and Iron and Folic acid tablets and her baby was the fruit of all her efforts!

Avinash has been working with Deep Griha for the last 18 years. During that time he has worked on a number of programmes including teaching coaching classes, as a fieldworker at Ramtekadi, incharge of the Aadhar Kendra child sponsorship programme and teaching in school drop-out classes.

His work, passion and style were noticed and he was promoted to his current position as team leader of DISHA. Avinash says that ‘this is the most rewarding and the best phase of my life.’ He felt that he had been continually searching for what he what he wanted to do in life until he began work with DISHA and as a team leader he really feels that his work is appreciated. It is the interaction with clients and the counseling that he particularly enjoys which is enhanced now that he has completed his MA in Social Work.

There are challenges involved with this work and it is also Avinash’s responsibility to inform families when a client passes away. He has the complete support of his family although his youngest son didn’t like to see him wearing his ‘HIV positive’ t-shirt (part of the Wake Up Pune campaign), being embarrassed and worried about what his friends would think, but after Avinash explained that it was about positive education, awareness and support his son asked for his own t-shirt. Despite being such a stigmatised issue, the reaction from the community has been really positive, after awareness sessions people often approach Avinash with individual questions and many go on to get tested.

Lalita has been involved in the adult education programme for five years and is in the 7th standard. She first heard about the programme when her daughter was ill and she came to DGS for the medical services. She had never been to school before as she was the eldest child and needed to care for her brothers and sisters while her parents worked. Lalita also attends the women’s awareness groups and the sewing classes.

She used to be a domestic servant but once she was married she stopped work. At first her husband was unsure about the adult education classes because of her family responsibilities, but she can bring her daughters to DGS while she studies so is able to continue. Lalita got involved with the adult education classes because she would like to pay for her children’s education and would like to financially help her husband by getting a job when her children are more grown up. She says her socio-economic status has now changed, by joining the course she has learned how to budget and now understands money and it’s value a lot more. Lalita’s confidence and self-respect has increased and this has impacted on other areas in her life, she says she can travel more independently now and she can help her daughters with their education. Her husband is really proud of her and will often ask her to read things, which also aids her confidence. Lalita says the classes have enabled her to gain a broader education, she certainly will encourage her daughters to get an education and wants this to be their priority before marriage, as she feels this can be limiting for girls.

Asha has been a part of the adult education programme at Deep Griha for four years and has studied up to 4th standard. She had been unable to attend school at a younger age because of her families’ financial situation, her father had passed away and her mother could not afford her education. Asha found out about the adult education course from a fieldworker and has taken part in other DGS activities such as women’s empowerment seminars and discussions and the health clinic. She leads a busy life, taking care of her 3 children and also working as a domestic maid, she would like to study further but needs to work to fund her children’s education. Her family and the community have been supportive of her involvement with DGS, and her husband will take the time to assist Asha in her studies. She feels the course has benefited her life because being able to read has increased her confidence, she can read signs and know what change she is getting and finds it easier to talk to people after the discussions and seminars she has been involved in. Asha has come to realise the importance of education, wanting her children to be educated as far as her financial situation will allow. It is through education that she has gained confidence and she wish's this for her family too.

Rani is twelve years old and has been a part of the Aadhar Kendra scheme for 5 years. A fieldworker told Rani about Deep Griha when her father passed away. She had lots of problems at home because her mother couldn’t afford to support the family and there wasn’t enough food for them all. Now she is supported through the Aadhar Kendra scheme and is provided with daily meals through the nutrition programme. She also receives new clothes and schoolbooks. Rani says she now feels better about coming from a slum, she is in the first standard at school and her favourite subject is English. One day she hopes to become a doctor. Rani says that the atmosphere at Deep Griha is great, she has lots of friends and she is looked after well by the fieldworkers. She has lots of aunties who work hard to cook for them all. She also enjoys talking to the international volunteers and practicing her English.

I recently completed my first Vision Aid Overseas project. This took place in and around Pune, India. I am a Dispensing Optician in the UK so whilst on the project was lucky enough to be doing the very rewarding task of actually giving patients spectacles to help with their vision.

I was not alone, a team of seven of us flew from London to help as many people as possible with their vision. Five optometrists testing eyes, with myself and one other to fit easily over 80 pairs of glasses a day is a daunting, but amazing challenge. Add this to a very hot, dusty environment with a lot of people clamouring for your attention it was also exhausting! However having only been back 3 weeks I already want to go back!

I met some truly inspiring people who have worked very hard to achieve things that in the UK we perhaps take for granted. People living in awful conditions who still go to work everyday with a smile upon their face and actually caring about the person next to them.

As well as the people I was lucky enough to see a very small proportion of the country itself. Mumbai, although a very busy city has some very picturesque parts and some architecture that is beautiful. Pune itself is very crowded and has a lot of hustle and bustle, but also a lot of vibrancy about it. The villages around Pune not only offer some glorious views but the people in them could not be more hospitable.

On our very first trip into a village we had a lovely welcome ceremony to greet us. We were each given a coconut and flower garland, watching our team leader be adorned with a turban is an image that still makes me smile.

Each day we were taken to a different place, which means a different room and a different set up. Everyone is so helpful and eager to please though this just makes the whole trip more fun. That first day walking into a room full of boxes of spectacles and seeing all the people was frightening, but with help you soon know what’s
going on. Eventually you even start to learn some of the language!

I had an amazing time in Pune working with Deep Grihia, I made some fabulous friends and although it may have been hard work I also had a lot of fun. Having the opportunity to help others and enjoy it too is something I am pleased to say I plan to do again!

Pranil started his post as team leader for the Aadhar Kendra project in January 2008 after completing his post graduate study in Social Work. Aadhar Kendra is a large programme with 384 children and young people currently enrolled across Pune’s three slum communities. Pranil’s responsibility is to manage correspondence between beneficiaries and sponsors, the finance, the nutrition programme, distribution of clothes and administration. He’s recently taken on an a new assistant Nizam to help with the large workload.
Many of the children are on the scheme because they are either orphaned or come from a single parent family, or fieldworkers will approach families where the parents are medically and financially unable to fulfil the needs of their children. Children joining the scheme are given a medical, an IQ test and counselling.
Pranil finds the most challenging aspects working with teenagers in the slums who face many problems with smoking and alcohol. The aim of the scheme is to provide a change of atmosphere for the children and through education to make them economically self-sufficient.
Pranil says that his work is improving day by day, this is a new line of work for him as his previous experience was in teaching. It is the coordination of the work at the three centres that Pranil finds the most rewarding and seeing everything come together to make a difference to young people’s lives.

Pushpa is a new member of staff who joined DGS 3 months ago. She heard about the job through other DGS employees and loves working with children so it was an ideal role for her. Pushpa has found the experience of teaching with Deep Griha rewarding because unlike a regular classroom she is able to concentrate on each child and their individual circumstances. Most children in Pune are privileged enough to go to school, however the situation in the slums is very different. Pushpa has benefited from the support of government organisation, Sarva, which works with children who have been unable to attend formal education and who experience troubles in their home life. Working in this setting, Pushpa’s role overlaps with social work. She has been equipped for this experience through various training programmes, which have increased her confidence and enabled her to use a variety of teaching techniques.

Salvi has known and been using the medical services at Deep Griha for 10years. She says it makes a big difference for her and her family, as this is where they receive all their treatments. Salvi said that if the clinic was not here she would have to pay for treatment at a private hospital and she wouldn’t be able to afford any kind of health care. She is very grateful for the health clinic because it provides her with the essential health care that she wouldn’t otherwise be able to receive.

For three and a half years Lata Mane has run Deep Griha’s DOTS program, the WHO-recommended treatment strategy for tuberculosis, along with serving as a counselor for individuals suffering from TB and/or HIV. As the DOTS coordinator, Lata directly observes all DOTS-enrolled patients taking their medicines three times a week for six to eight months, so as to reduce the risk that they will remain ill or, worse, aggravate the disease to a point of multi-drug resistance.
In reflecting on her role as a counselor for people with tuberculosis and HIV, Lata emphasizes the importance of providing these individuals with psychological and emotional support. Both diseases commonly subject those infected to great stigmatization from the surrounding community – an occurrence that may very well be more painful than the symptoms of the illness itself. By talking with patients about situations in which they have felt stigmatized or afraid and providing ideas on how to address such situations in the future, Lata helps to give her patients much needed comfort and support.
Lata also educates her patients on the nature of their disease. In a city where there is still much ignorance regarding tuberculosis and HIV, Lata seeks to communicate to her patients that having one of these illnesses does not mean that they are at the end of their life. “People feel more empowered after learning about these things,” Lata says, and she hopes that those with whom she works can take the information and encouragement she gives them and make their lives better as a result.

Sonal has been working at Deep Griha since 2006, when the organization opened a comprehensively equipped Pathology Laboratory, providing a wide range of tests at subsidized rates.
As a registered medical lab technician, Sonal runs the facility, taking diagnostic and screening tests for approximately eight patients a day, referred to her by Deep Griha’s Dr. Onawale, other community doctors, and DIHSA (Deep Griha’s Integrated Service for HIV/AIDS). Among the many tests that Sonal runs are those for HIV, TB, blood group, haemogram, urine routine, kidney function tests, and liver function tests.
Sonal enjoys working in the laboratory, not only due to her interest in science and technology, but also because of her desire to help to provide health care to individuals who may not otherwise be able to afford it. She believes her work at Deep Griha is important for this reason, and she hopes to continue working in this capacity with the organization to promote comparable health care for people of all social and economic backgrounds.

Nitisha has been working at Deep Griha for over a year now. Before she was teaching at a local school, whilst her husband, Prashanth, was working at City of Child. Nitisha was so inspired seeing what Deep Griha was doing that she wanted to get involved and so she came to work as a teacher at City of Knowledge. She finds it particularly rewarding because she is now able to provide an education that she herself would have wanted, this is particularly important in the rural setting because there are no other school's with similar facilities. The parents reaction has been extremely positive due to the good resources, colourful classrooms and well qualified staff. However, there are challenges working in an English Medium school as all of the children come from a Marathi background. The school stresses the importance of all forms of communication, not simply focusing on written skills.
Nitisha is looking forward to see how the vision of City of Knowledge develops, 'there is a huge space and it will be interesting to see how it transforms over the next 5 years'.

Shankar recently joined Deep Griha to run the youth centre which opened in the summer of 2008 in Ramtekadi, an urban slum community. Shankar has completed his masters in Social Work and has worked as a counsellor and particularly enjoys working closely with young people. He says that often young people face a lack of resources at home, missing out on vital education and discipline. They are ambitious but lack the opportunities to mobilize their ambitions so the youth centre aims to provide them with a chance to socialize and play games, but also opportunities to gain vocational skills. The centre is open every afternoon until 8pm for young people aged between 14 and 25. The facilities at the centre include computers, musical instruments, a library containing books in Marathi, Hindi and English, as well as activities such as dance, henna and drawing. Shankar also works as a counsellor providing support for the young people if required. The centre is also focused on helping the young people find employment, assisting them with applications or providing information about vocational courses they can attend in order to increase future prospects.

Akash is sixteen years old and he started coming to Deep Griha in 2002 after his father passed away. It was then fieldworkers who recommended DGS and the Aadhar Kendra scheme to him, as his mother was struggling to support him. Akash says he is very happy with the support he receives at Deep Griha, as the financial assistance enables him to receive an education and he is provided with a uniform and books. He is in the 10th standard and his favourite subject is English. Akash is also particularly happy to have just received new clothes for Diwali. He says that what Deep Griha does is fantastic and particularly important for the slum community because it helps people to be proud and feel good about where they come from.