Aishwarya’s Family, India (FVP Story 2021.23)
Aishwarya Chaturvedi grew up in a large and loving family with three generations living under the same roof in Firozabad, India. Through Nirman, an NGO, the Chaturvedi family shares their love with the children of the city.
Firozabad is the hub of the glass industry in India. There are many laborer families. Often, parents send their children to the factories instead of school. Aishwarya always felt she had to do something. When she graduated, she and her family decided to found Nirman and provide education to neighborhood kids. Later, Aishwarya ran a special initiative for NIRMAN as part of her GPWLA practicum.
Aishwarya gives her mother credit for Nirman’s success. Her mother helps Aishwarya develop a curriculum, plan, and execute. Classes include after-school help, sanitation, and hygiene classes, and workshops on child rights and countering abuse. Mom is also a musician. She teaches the children music, dance, and arts and crafts.
Aishwarya still remembers the first boy who joined the program, a 12-year-old who had never been to school. He started with basic alphabets and numbers and was soon reading and writing. Another boy came with a stammer. By the end of his time with Nirman, he let go of his stammer and found the confidence to speak up. After a human rights workshop, one girl got the courage to report a teacher in her school who was inappropriately pinching students.
As Aishwarya continues her studies in the United States, Nirman is looked after by her family back home. She still connects virtually with the children and facilitates sessions, loving her extended family of Firozabad.