How Muskan got her smile back – Sahaara Charitable Society

Dear Nanda and Dale Brian,

Children in red light areas live in severe physical and psychological peril, vulnerable to abuse, trauma and second generation prostitution. Here is the success story of one more child rescued from the sex trade.

The mother of five year old Muskan (The name means “smile” in the Hindi language) was a victim of the sex trade and worked in the Bhandup red light area in Mumbai, India. Sahaara staff met the mother for the first time around 2006. We counseled her to exit the trade and start a new life. In 2009, with our help, her mother exited the trade and was referred to a rehabilitation home in Pune. Simultaneously, Muskan was brought to Anandalay, a shelter home run by Sahaara, for daughters of trafficked women. Anandalay houses these children as they are brought up by house-parents in a loving and conducive family environment. Muskan was welcomed into Anandalay in March 2009.

Initially when she came in to Anandalay, Muskan was a slow learner, withdrawn and very passive in nature. Over the years, there has been a turnaround in her social and academic skills: she has become expressive, smiling, talkative, interactive. She has blossomed into an extrovert, become proactive in making friends, and has shown significant improvement in her grades.

Currently she is enrolled in one of the top schools in the locality (St. Xaviers’ School, Airoli, a branch of Ryan Schools). Ryan Schools operate nationwide with nearly 200,000 children enrolled guided by eight thousand educators focusing on child-centered qualitative learning. The syllabus covers English (alphabet recognition, reading, writing, and sentence formation), numeracy, extracurricular activities such as sports, craft and drawing etc

Muskan has now emerged confident in skills like story narration and poem recitation. She particularly enjoys song and dance as well as crafts and drawing. She feels at home in Anandalay and loves to welcome the new girls who come into the home. As for her character, she is honest about her mistakes, tender and sensitive — she is a child who yearns to receive and give out love.

Anandalay has been a boon to Muskan. She now enjoys her childhood and has a hope and a future afforded by education!

Your generous donations, Nanda and Dale, will enable Sahaara to bear the cost of tuition for Muskan for half an academic year.

Thank you!