A new dawn
When she was only 11, Prabhati’s step mother sold her to a brothel. While working as a prostitute she married a man who turned out to be a pimp. He introduced her to drugs and she quickly became an addict. They had one daughter and one son. She loved her children, and realized that if she died they would be at the mercy of pimps who could enrol them in the trade. Despite wanting to leave, she felt trapped.
She was close to an emotional breakdown when she met Pushpa, who works with Aruna, a project of Oasis India. Pushpa gained her trust and convinced her that she could live a fulfilling life away from drugs and prostitution. She was sent to a hospital and miraculously overcame her addiction in three days.
That was 6 years ago. Three years after that she got a job caring for the children of women trapped in prostitution in a home run by the Salvation Army. If it wasn’t for this home, these girls would still be living in the brothels with their mothers. Prabhati cooks for the girls and helps keep the home clean. She is glad that Oasis India enabled her to start afresh. She says, ‘Oasis India is my new family as I was bereft of my own family as an innocent young child and yearned for a family to call my own.’
Alok
Prabhati’s new lifestyle is influencing her son Alok, who is now working with the Aruna project, counselling and encouraging men in the red light areas to lead better lives. ‘I enjoy helping people and seeing their lives transformed’ he says. He grew up in the red light area and dropped out of school when he was 8 or 9 years old. Instead of being influenced by his surroundings, Alok always vowed never to earn money from selling his own or anyone else's mother or sister, and worked hard to support himself.
Seeing the dramatic turn-around of his mother’s life had a profound affect on him. When we spoke to Alok, he proudly showed us a picture of her saying, ‘My mother didn’t look so healthy when she was doing drugs. It’s like she has literally come back from the dead. I am thankful to Oasis India for helping me and my family.’
Recently he helped a man who dealt drugs in the red light area. The man was very sick when Alok met him and his wife had left him. Alok bathed him, found him some new clothes and with the help of another NGO, got him admitted to hospital.
He says ‘My mother is very proud of me because of what I am doing. Normally if someone falls into the drain nobody pulls them out and helps them. My mother is proud that I do work like that, I help people who are down trodden and those who can’t help themselves.’
Prabhati and Alok are reasons why Oasis India continues to labour in the red light areas, recognising that every person, even if labelled insignificant or worthless by society has the inherent ability to bring about change, not only in their own lives, but also in the lives of others.
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