“Regardless of anything, I feel safe here. For me, it is a place I was happy to be.” says Ananya

“I started coming to Snehadhara in JP Nagar when I was doing my NIOS 10th. Given how old I was, I didn’t know if I could work with kids. It took me time to understand how they are, what are the issues and how to work with them. The facilitators and even Dr Gitanjali spoke to me and helped me understand. I just came and observed how everyone is. Initially it was a little scary for me because I didn’t know how to react or respond. The team made me comfortable. After a break for 12th, I knew there would be new challenges from the gap but it was so good to see everyone after coming back, I knew I could tackle everything.”

“While working here, I was also learning to understand people and how to speak and engage with everyone. A lot of challenges were there for me but with time and being in the same place, I think these have reduced slowly. And for the first time, I feel like nobody is judging me here. They will tell me what’s right and what’s wrong, never judge. They care about what I can do and learn. They have trust in me. I feel safe here and I want others, children, everyone to feel this way. I feel that when we give love and affection to the children and each other, we can overcome everything. I do sometimes doubt myself but I get encouragement and confidence here. In the future, I hope the children can go around without others making them feel different. I want more children to come to Snehadhara to experience this place.”

What is Humans of SF? 

This is a series on the humans of SF; an attempt to celebrate each of the people who make Snehadhara whole. Novelist Anne Sewell said “It is good people who make good places.” And amongst the many good people in this world, there are some here at Snehadhara who make up this good place. We are ecstatic to bring to you glimpses of the Snehadhara team. Join us as we delve into the stories of people who stand for SF.