“My elder brother says that our mother was warm and single-handedly managed home and her work at the textile mill. But when I try to recall my mother’s face, I see my grandparents’,” says Payal*. She was only a year old when the siblings lost their mother and moved in to live with their grandparents.
After a few years, due to the declining health of her grandmother and the financial limitation of the grandfather- the family had to make the tough decision of sending Payal to a CCI for better care and access to education. Sadly, this is the story of thousands of children ending up in institutional care every year. Families are separated due to a lack of support and resources. Systemic strengthening and identification of children at risk for separation at the right time can avert this and keep families together. This is where Miracle Foundation steps in with its expertise in family-based and alternative care.
When the Miracle trained and supported CCI and started managing Payal’s case, they were certain that she could return to her family, have her rights met and her family could be strengthened for livelihood as well. Our Thrive Scale tool helped us identify gaps where the family needed support and devise a needs-based support plan. The first measure was to help the father set up an indigenous coffee packaging and distribution business.
Today, it's been 2 years since Payal returned home, the family is getting support from the government welfare schemes- a monthly pension scheme and monetary support for Payal. When the grandmother sees Payal and her brother breaking barriers, on an emotional level, she says that for her the hardest hurdle was the transition to becoming a mother and taking care of two children simultaneously, but the efforts paid well.
Kudos to this #MiracleMom for everything she has done for the two siblings. This Mother’s Day, honor your mom by supporting #MiracleMoms like their grandmother and others who have given their time and efforts selflessly for the betterment of children from disadvantaged communities.
