Creating Success among Bangalore's Needy and Poor

       Mithra Children in School                       Mithra girls in dance                                                   Mithra girls in concert

Two Stories about Mithra Recipients

Muruga is a 27-year-old physically handicapped man living in Mokkuttamanagar Slum. We first started working with him when he was only 17. At that time, he could only walk with the help of his companions. Mithra arranged for Muruga to obtain his own crutches, and arranged technical training at a rehabilitation center where he was trained as a telephone mechanic. Currently, he is employed in a gas station, and also manages a telephone booth. He also now sports a new tricycle to help move himself about, and has become a happy, confident, cheerful, and a very independent person in his community. "I do not seek any sympathy or mercy from others like before," he shared with us. "On the other hand, I help others to come up in life." This feeling and attitude change of Muruga's is the direct result of Mithra's involvement.

Renuka

Now 15 years old, Renuka was first found playing on a road when she was barely 6. She was the first child in the Mithra project in Vijinapuram slum, where we first started our work there in 1999. Her family migrated 18 years ago from Kerala seeking a better livelihood. The Mithra teacher found Renuka wandering along, alone on the road. Renuka was attending 2nd grade in the local government school, but could only attend occasionally. She expressed her keen interest in studies but was unable to go to regular classes because her grandmother forced her to tend to household chores. Unfortunately, Renuka's father, Madhu, supported this. He is an alcoholic who has not only failed to manage his family but also has allowed his mother to dominate the family dynamic, sadly to the detriment of his wife and daughter. Unfortunately, wife-battering is all too common in the communities where Mithra works, but in this case, Madhu's cruelty was so overwhelming that his wife, Radhamani, had lost her speech completely. Mithra, however, helped Radhamani get treatment, and for two years she has been communicating in sign language. Furthermore, Mithra's efforts managed to empower Radhamani enough for her to encourage Renuka to resume her studies. The struggle to help Renuka study has not ended, and every now and then, Mithra still has to intervene. The good news is that Renuka is now in a private school, where the education is much better. She is in the school final, 10th grade. Mithra's efforts are being rewarded by Renuka's success. She is studying extremely well, and always stands first in the class. She has become quite ambitious, and wants to eventually study medicine. Mithra wants to see other children improve their lives as Renuka has. If they have the will, are highly motivated, and work hard, then Mithra will help mobilize support to make their dreams a reality.