Name: Rani
Age: 12 years
First attended class: 2nd year
Favourite thing at the centre: Maths, writing words and singing songs
Least favourite thing at the centre: She loves everything
When she grows up she would like to be a doctor.

Name: Yogita
Age: 9 years
First attended class: 1st year
Favourite thing at the centre: Maths and dance
Least favourite thing at the centre: Big words and being told off
When she grows up she would like to be a doctor.

Sachin entered the Aadhar Kendra Sponsorship Programme at the Tadiwala Road slum in 2007. He studies in the 3rd standard at Zilla Parishad Primary School, his favourite subject in school is art and he enjoys drawing and playing marbles. He is in good health.

His family belongs to the Hindu community. Sachin's grandmother is the only earning member in the family. She looks after Sachin’s ill mother and brother who is 13. Considering his family's situation, (with the permission of his family) Sachin stays at City of Child, Kasurdi.

Snehal is 19 and has been a member of the DIYA Centre since it opened. She regularly attends spoken English classes, table tennis and dance classes. She currently is studying in college and aims to be a teacher one day.

Khudeja is 16 years and has been a member at the DIYA centre since it opened. Her parents are not in favour of sending her to study in college. She often drops in at the youth centre to participate in games and awareness programmes on HIV/AIDS and other programmes. She also attends the sewing classes conducted at the centre. She would like to attend college and study fashion designing. She enjoys reading in her free time especially religious books.

Abhishek, age 5 is a part of the Deep Griha creche for the past one year. Soon after Abhishek, his younger brother Pradeep was also enrolled in the creche.

Their mother is the only earning member in the family. She works as a maid servant. She found out about the crèche facility at Deep Griha from her neighbours. She sends both her children to the Deep Griha because “Mi majhya mulanna ikde sodun befikir houn kaama la jau shakte. Mi ghari ektich kamavnari aslyane, mala ya mulanna don veleche jevan hi dyala kathin hote. Ikde tyanna ek velche jevan va kahi ajar jhala tar aushad –pani kele jaate(Once I drop my kids here, I can go to work without any worries. I’m th only earning person in the family so my income is little which makes it really difficult to provide two meals a day for my children. Here they get one meal a day and basic medication in case they fall ill). She adds, “Mulanchi ikde chaan kalji ghetli jaate. Barech khel, gaani, goshti aani sarvat mahatvache - changlya savayi shikavlya jatat. (They look after my the kids very well. They teach them many games, songs, stories and most importantly good values)".

Looking at the helpers in creche, Abhishek has now learned to look after his younger brother affectionately. Both of them enforce the rules they follow in the crèches at home, such as wash hands before eating food

I spent only 10 weeks working on the DISHA project at Deep Griha but it felt like much longer and at the same time just flew by. I loved the expereince, it was a million miles away from my coporate marketing job in London but hugely enjoyable, interesting and at times just completely mad. Deep Griha does some wonderful work and the DISHA project in particular I was hugely proud to have been part of if only for a very short time. I had numerous chai meetings with printers, snuck around MG road putting up posters, battled with the intermittant power supplies, learnt how to play Kabbaddi, did a bollywood dance in the slums and argued with many a rickshaw driver, definitely an unforgettable experience!

- Claire Linney
Aged 27
October - December 2007
UK

From my first day at Deep Griha I felt welcomed, valued, and inspired. These three feelings all contributed to a great deal of motivation and desire to work every day. It is impossible to not be inspired by the others working at Deep Griha. I was fortunate enough to be shown around the Tadiwala Rd. area on my first day of work by a woman who would look after me during the course of my six month stay and we now refer to each other as mother and son. It is one of the most special and most significant relationships I’ve ever had, and one that was fostered by the pervasive spirit of Deep Griha.

I remember listening in rapt attention to Dr. Neela Onawale recount the history of her courageous founding of Deep Griha society and its subsequent expansion to this day. I remember the smiling faces of the children in the crèches and the great service that the walk-in clinic gave to so many people in this resource-limited setting.
Given strong personal commitment and drive, it is very possible to become involved and experience a wonderful sense of freedom of action. Shortly after outlining my capabilities and ways in which I felt I could help the organization, I was given approval and support and confidence.

I’ve worked for many organizations in India and elsewhere as a volunteer and the level of support for their volunteers from Deep Griha is truly exceptional. The entire experience is perhaps more amazing because one comes away feeling like the person receiving the greatest benefit may have been the volunteers themselves. The work that is done by volunteers is temporary, but useful, the real sustainable work will continue due to the drive of the organization, but the volunteers receive permanent personal enrichment and lifelong memories and friends. I hope to remain connected to these memories and friends for the rest of my life.

-Morgan Brown,
Volunteer December 2006, March-August 2007
Age 22-23, United States

Prashant is currently enrolled in the 11th standard. He comes to the DIYA Centre on most days to meet up with his friends. He appreciates the opportunity to participate in group activities, such as games with foreign visitors and the film club on Saturdays. Prashant also enjoys the table tennis and chess, but his favorite component of DIYA is the computer class. In the future, he hopes to obtain a job in hotel management.
Prashant thinks that the DIYA Centre is very beneficial and good for the youth. Nice friends come to DIYA and he is also making new friends there. He enjoys it very much and thinks that it would be good to have a dance class as well.