With 2 younger brothers in tow, one aged 8 and the other barely a year old, a 10 year old girl bravely boarded local trains to sell various items to the passengers. Every rupee earned was of vital importance. With no one to help, the children were forced to drop out of school in order to make money to buy medicines for their ailing parents. Just less than a year ago, they lived a relatively normal family life. The older two siblings went to school, while the mother stayed home taking care of the baby and tutored other children so as to financially support the family. The father, on the other hand, was a gambler and an alcoholic. But despite all this, they were happy.

However, all of a sudden, their lives started changing. Both parents took ill and, on being tested, were found to be HIV+. Notwithstanding the children’s valiant efforts to raise money for the much needed medicines, in a very short time, both the parents succumbed to the virus. At the time of the funeral, an uncle came forward and offered to take them home, with just one condition – that the youngest, who was sero-positive, was to be placed somewhere else. The 10 year old declined the offer as she refused to have her baby brother separated from the family.

Consequently, they were placed with an NGO in Mumbai. After 2 years, they were referred to Oasis India ’s residential care project at Igatpuri – Purnata Bhavan. Since then, there has been no looking back for the three of them. That 10 year old girl is now 19 and was recently elected the Head Girl of her school – something she never even dreamt of! She desires to study hard and become a doctor so that she can help people in need, especially children, as she witnessed her brother often being refused treatment by doctors.