Beyond boundaries

World Vision India has developed a Guiding Minds Programme that Nisha uses to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS among girls of her age. She gathers them together and explains issues like trafficking, abuse, and exploitation. She is a regular at school and serves as an excellent role model for the other children.

No geography book mentions Bhandra Sindri, situated along National Highway No 8, where children are routinely sent out to work in the cities. “Chetna is my best friend but I don’t know where she is now. I miss her so much,” says Nisha. “I’m the only one among my friends left in the village.” She has written a few lines to her friends whom she might never see again.

Mala, Nisha’s mother, currently a member of the World Vision self-help group, promised to protect her daughter from exploitation. Today, Nisha is a ‘peer advocate’ in her community. She talks to children in her age-group, making them aware of the dangers they could be exposed to. She also motivates them to study and break the cycle of poverty.