World Changes After Twelve Years

Today I will share you a story of young girl who spend her first 12 yrs in a hospital. You will be curious why so? Because hospital people found her 12 yrs back when she left behind. Since she was blind they keep her with extra care. But her world was hospital bed , bathroom , that's it.Interaction with some hospital staff very rarely. She don't even know that the world is so big, there can be another home, diff type vehicle and so many things and persons. Surprisingly she don't even used the staircase of that hospital. When Voice Of World people take her by vehicle she became frightened and shouted "what is it? why it is moving?"



You can say her learning process begins from that day, what should have been from day one of her childhood. Now she is happy to be a part of bigger family and helping others(that attitude also develop after coming here, she was only recipient of the service in hospital).She got her new name."Feli"  turns " Piyali"       Now she is didi (elder sister) of so many children and lovely sister for so many elders.One day I just entered  in the girl's hostel. Suddenly noticed one visually challenged girl took out a sweater from the cloths come through donation and felt  that it is little bit long for her, she moved to her new didi and started checking whether its fits her or not  when she felt flash light on her face she became  shy. This is the daily scenario of their growing family.

 Piyali started learning Braille.

Shampa is teaching Piyali Braille

Founder Ms Gargi Gupta feels may be she can appear for 10th exam within 5/6 yrs if everything goes smoothly. She told me that this girl is very intelligent. When I met her she was busy with a orthopedically handicapped child.
 Now she can move on her own in the three storied building at Sakherbazar unit of Voice Of World. Another day I saw her when she was exploring structure of cycle by the sense of touch.

 Let us pray to almighty that she can pick up the study fast and become independent.

Together Our Voice Can Change The World

After seeing yesterdays BLOG's response I thought real life story should be continued  (Paramjit Kaur from Kolkata mailed me that she want to volunteer for them,Thanks Paramjit).
First I will share about non-residential volunteers  who are silently giving there service in 'Voice Of World'. When there is any public gathering or some function  they  may not have come in that but they never miss the time when to give service.I have already told about Chhanda madam who is instrumental for Rani's improvement(Pls refer older post)

Alok Uncle is recording Chhoti's  course material in a audio cassette from her book

Alok kaku(Mr. Alok Jyoti Roy) retd govt employee use to come Dorjipara centre(at North kolkata) thrice in a week on his own from Bandel (Hoogly dist of West Bengal).He is giving reader service and tution to Chhotti. I hv seen him doing record from chapters of book in a cassete.

I came to know just  day before yesterday he was suffering from viral fever.What made him to come here without taking rest at home?

Mr. Dipankar Bose a retd marketing personnel came to know about Voice of World from his friend Sujit Kaku( Mr Sujit Mukherjee who donated a land in Saltighat and attached to VOW much before) .Dipankar Kaku started giving voluntary service from 2009. He is very good in writing letter  so he is drafting all most all correspondence  of Sakherbazar branch.Last para of my previous BLOG was his draft.

Krishna Dey(Sengupta) came in contact of VOW through her friend who is colleague of Gargi di(founder of VOW) in Indian Railway.From 2002 she was assisting in project work  but side by side she has taken  day matron job of the girls hostel . I have seen  this lady  is always busy with something on the other jobs with  always ready  attitude.

Shampa Dutta of Santiniketan came here in 2003 to do a practical training on Cerebral Palsy under "Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy".Her journey continues,now she is residential volunteer .After some year her brother Madhav also join as volunteers followed by  cousin sister Munmun ( deaf and dumb)who is studying here and giving voluntary service .  All three of them are staying here only.I hv requested Shampa to write her experince on her own....

Shyamali who was doing a job with  a poetic mind met Gargidi in 2006 while doing a workshop in near by school .She came closer when Gargidi visit her village RaiDighi at 24pgs(south) in West Bengal knowing there are some blind children  who need help.
Shyamali had an idea that all handicapped children are dependent to other for lifelong till she visit VOW centres.She was surprised to see that they were cooking,doing household jobs,playing tabla,doing computers on their own.This was her turning point.She thought "if they can do so many things managing their
problem why can't I".

Visually challenged children's dance  performance  before fashion show at Park Hotel

College going girl is busy in doing household job

Tina (who  just married to Bachhan)(Both of them are visually challenged and brought up in this organization) moving firster than me in the staircase

Visually challenged girl doing computer using JAWS (a talking software)

She join as residential volunteer in 2008 hoping to help others and to enhance her own personality. I hv seen Prasun who came from a home with Cerebral Palsy and due to paralytic  condition there was no movement in hand and leg .Prasun can't see,had severe hearing loss and dumbness.So think how a person can communicate with that little child who can't move see and hear your instruction and can't express.Just think.Nothing left...

Yes there is still some hope.... By touch one can communicate.Shyamali and her team use this 'sense of touch ' fully  and started communicating with Prasun.After six month's regular physiotherapy by Shyamali ..Now Prasun can stand on his own and can walk.

Manjushree Debnath another residential volunteer feeding Prasun

For today this much is enough for sharing.

How can we do some work for our own society without hampering anything.

Visually challenged college going girl is doing knitting

Jhilik is the eye of Chhotti and Chhoti is the tuition teacher of Jhilik

Often we think
1.How  can we  do some social work?
2.How much time we have to devote?
3.If I am donating some of my pocket money in what way that small amount will
help the poor?
4.How a voluntary organisation works?
All this questions make me travel to visit an organisation.Later  I stayed in the different centre of that NGO,I am sharing those experiences.

Value for Money:-
In this organisation no such volunteers are there who are highly paid.So you can say money saved is money earned.
Most of the residential volunteers are  mutually benefited( because they are well recognised here and a have a family bond with all children and have got there mental piece  and because of  short of funds they volunteer themselves  with small money).
Non-residential  volunteers who are  giving support such as
1. Recording cassette from class book for visually challenged
2. Reader service or giving tuition for higher classes ,some of them  are retired person from well to do family or from middle class but self motivated.
Some family giving support because one or more family member of them  are  visually or physically or mentally challenged,so they know the need of contributing service very clearly.Though the founder of the organisation  is  an employee of Railway.most of the time she will travel in normal train's ladies couch instead of Rajdhani.
Reason  she has given me that she has to  travel to Delhi for follow up of grants with limited pass.So to avoid spending extra money for her travel she travel in such manner(even I can't travel alone in this manner).Her total salary also (30,000+) used in the organisational job.Can you imagine? She has donated all her
property to grow this organisation After seeing so much dedication some well to do family donate their land also and with some grant building of voice of world grows.Her moto is "we always try to produce output as good as  rs 100 if you mange to donate rs 10.)

She made autonomous type school in remote village to rehabilitate handicapped teacher(they might have grown  from this organisation) in that teachers house or if some person had given the place to open a small school.In this school students are from SC/ST or under privileged family.Books and other facilities she will
provide.I have asked her how much minimum money you need to run this type of school ,she smilingly claimed rs 3000 per month.I was simply spell bound.I have seen in internet and other place people donate half of this  money  for a single student and if one well to do person or a team can donate rs 3000 per month
then he/she or they can claim they have sponsored a school for under privilege in a remote village and rehabilitate a handicapped teacher! If you are not believing then just visit there centre at  Nandigram,Bankura,krishnanagar .

Initially she started organisation for visually challenged only,but the condition of our society  made her to extend service to destitute,physically and mentally challenged,elderly left out people.
For visually challenged the organisation gives scholarship to those who are pursuing higher study.
Some summery about Voice of World
At Sakherbazar  student  strength is now 120 (both boys,  girls), with adequate number of trained teachers. The school building is now three storied to accommodate hostel facilities for all the students. Amongst the students more than 70% are visually handicapped, the rest are orphans or handicapped of different nature.
Voice of World  also run the other centers spreading over the districts of West Bengal including Kolkata. Apart from taking care of the Visually Challenged Children and grown ups, they have set up centers for destitute for girls, old age home cum orphanages and also vocational training centers for the visually
impaired.Their ultimate objective is to rehabilitate them in the main stream of the society so that they learn to live to work independently with dignity.

The visually challenge girl is doing computer using JAWS

Please bring your family tell your friends and relative about them. They  need every individuals support.Pls join them at voiceofworld@gmail.com or call +919477152686

Trekking to Jalasu pass(Himachal Pradesh  with founder,volunteers and Mountaineer Mr Indranath Mukherjee

Multiple disability,severe malnutrition affected Rani though abandoned by her mother after birth can walk now...

Rani was not able to move her hands and legs when she came from an orphan home.She suffered from malnutrition when she was in her mother's womb.Since she left by her family mother after delivery further malnutrition develops.When home people handed over her to "Voice of World" Rani was suffering from  slight blindness and dumbness. She was over weight because till that time home people  fed her milk only.In 'Voice of World' she got company of others.One day Chhandadi  retd from a bank was with her .She realise that as  there was no movement of hands and legs due to no development in muscles.Then she suggest that her condition may improve by some physiotherapy .She and Tripti  Lahiri(her son Soumen is music teacher in this organisation) had gone to "Rehabilitation Centres For Children".After regular physiotherapy from 2009 to 2010, now Rani can move her hand and leg.She can walk with a support.But her waist is not yet strong.Doctor says she can walk on her own after six month.Three cheers for Rani.