Case studies: former SOS children Faridabad, India

Former children from the SOS Children's Village Faridabad, India share their experience of growing up at Faridabad and how they have become independent.

Tanya - a good example
Tanya, a young girl from SOS Children's Village Faridabad has set an example for other children in the village. She is studying and simultaneously working - well this may be common in other parts of the world but in India this is new. In India youngsters begin to work after they have completed their studies. Tanya talks about her job and reasons for working while studying.

What are you studying?
I am doing B.A. honours in Political Science and have appeared in first year exams. I am also doing a job along with my studies.

Where do you work?
I am working in Mc Donald's located in Crown Plaza Mall in Faridabad as counter hostess. I started working after I finished with my class twelve exams and now it has been a year.

Why did you start working?
I felt that I am a grown up person and can support myself, the money that would be spent on me can be spent on a needy child. Also I always wanted to be self sufficient and independent. From the money I earn, fifty percent is spent on commuting and the remaining I save for my future studies. My sister is also following my foot steps. She is in class twelve and has already started preparing her resume.

What is your routine?
In the morning I go to college, attend my classes and am back home by two o'clock then I take some rest and leave home around four. I work from four to eight and am off to bed by nine. On weekends I work for eight hours and so earn more. Painting is my hobby and whenever I get some time I do painting.

What are your future plans?
Presently I am undergoing training from Mc Donald's in order to take on the telephone. I enjoy my job a lot, it is very exciting and I would like to pursue a career in the hospitality industry.

Perfect sisters

If you want to find out how balanced upbringing can make a remarkable difference to a child, you will find the answer right here. Priti and Mini*, two sisters living at SOS Children's Village Faridabad have turned into everybody's darlings. The duo excels in studies and extra-curricular activities.

Priti and Mini came to SOS Children's Village Faridabad in the year 2000. The elder one was seven and the younger two years old. Both were thin, pale and underfed. They had never been to school and couldn't even speak proper Hindi.

However, once under the care of SOS mother V.P. Dakshyani, the sisters began to develop well. Within weeks they started looking healthy and Priti's language improved. She was given tuition at home and after a few months she was enrolled in regular school.

Today both girls are doing very well in studies. Priti is in class seven and Mini in class two. Apart from academics the two are good at dancing and drawing. Priti regularly practices folk dance and has won prizes in different competitions held at school. Mini is an artist and loves sketching. Her favourite motif for her drawings is a happy family.

Well, the sisters don't stop at this. When the education counselor, Meena, was asked about them, she said, "They are simply perfect. Priti and Mini are the best girls. They take lot of initiative and want to participate in all the activities and events."

"Above all they are extremely well behaved, soft spoken and very loving", the counselor added.

*For privacy reasons we have changed the name of girls.

SOS Children has been working in India since 1963 and has more than 35 unique SOS Children's Villages caring for more than 55,000 children. The SOS Children's Village Faridabad gives a family for life to over 60 children while supporting more than 3,000 children and their families; through SOS Schools, the Social Centre which provides training for families and health counselling together with the SOS Vocational Training Centre which enables children from the children's village and the local community to learn skills needed for an independent living.

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