The Girl from the Border Village

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The child was only five when she was brought to our foster care by a social worker nun, Sister Mary. The child was born in a remote village at the Indo-Bangladesh border. Her father was a daily laborer who had to go to another state for work. After some time he became untraceable. Her mother was a woman of low IQ. Her two older siblings had died due to lack of care and nutrition. Missionaries of Charity Sister Superior had brought the child to their convent only to save her life. However, the child needed sustained foster care. The Sisters found out about our work through Sister Mary and the child was placed under our foster care. Salina has now grown into a fifteen year-old girl and she is a Class IX student in a state-run school nearby. So far, it was good but as per government act every man, woman and child is to be registered and have a unique identity number(AADHAR). That’s where we hit the wall. The child had no document on her, neither a polio card from any health center nor a birth certificate of any kind. However, a door opened for her. With a letter from the headmistress and a residential certificate from our organization her application was accepted. She got her AADHAR number within a month. This helped me open a bank account on her name, which enabled the school to apply for the government support money (Kanyashree) for her. The money will eventually come into her bank account. I am glad and thankful to God that a child without any identity has now a firm ground to stand on. With High School education, I hope, she will be able to take care of herself. We have to keep trusting in God. Sat, March 17, 2018