ENLIGHT HYDERABAD

Haritha was discovered during one of the routine community visits by the Enlight team member who was shocked to find her lying on the bed alone in the house. Her parents used to leave her alone in the house when they went to work.

Haritha’s parents had migrated from Nalgonda district to Hyderabad in search of a livelihood. Her father is a security guard in a small factory and her mother is a tailor. Both struggled to make both ends meet. Haritha’s younger brother was 16 years old and a 1st-year intermediate student of Narayana Junior college.

Despite all care and precaution during pregnancy, to the shock of Haritha’s parents, she was diagnosed with Mental Retardation and Locomotor disabilities by birth. Though Haritha’s parents spent a lot of money on her treatment nothing fruitful came up and, the doctors finally gave up on her.

Haritha developed jaundice and reached a critical state. Her parents somehow managed to rescue her but then a few months later she began suffering from epileptic attacks. Her parents got fed up and lost hope. They were poor and unable to bear the cost involved in Haritha’s treatment. To make both ends meet both had to work and this left them with no other choice other than leaving Haritha alone at home to fend for herself.

The Enlight team met Haritha’s parents to understand the situation well and taking them into confidence, admitted Haritha to Manasa special school. Here first she underwent regular physio and speech therapy which improved her health and she gradually began managing her daily routine independently. Following this, she was introduced to vocational training programme wherein she was trained to prepare washing powder, soap, phenyl, candle and mud lamps (diyas). Simultaneously, the Enlight team assisted her parents to apply for SADERAM and disability pension. Today Haritha receives disability pension regularly from the government and this has improved the living condition of the family. “We never in our dreams expected our child to regain her health, be able to manage herself and would ever see a smile on her face” shared Haritha’s parents while she smiled with a glint in her eyes.