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Imagine this. Six people cooking, sleeping, and living their entire lives in a single room. A gas stove rests inches away from a sleeping mat. A broken fan tries in vain to cool the heat of 45-degree summers. Privacy doesn’t exist. Hope barely does.
Image used for representation purpose only
For most of us, this life is unimaginable. But for Asha Dikshit, it became the reason to begin again.
A Death That Changed Everything
In 2012, Asha lost her younger sister, Shalini, in a sudden accident.
“She was more than family to me,” Asha recalls. “She was my anchor. Her death left me hollow.”In the months that followed, Asha struggled to return to a normal life. But her grief began to shift when she started noticing the neglected children in nearby slum areas—children who, like her, were living with an unbearable absence. Except theirs wasn’t just emotional. It was physical, social, and generational.
“These children hadn’t just lost parents or caregivers. They had lost their right to dream.”And so, with no large funds or fancy offices, Asha made a quiet vow: To build something in Shalini’s name that would give these children back their childhood. She started with just two kids, sitting cross-legged on the floor of a borrowed room.
What She Found in the Slums
As Asha went deeper into these areas, she saw a pattern—repeated across families and communities.
- Children who had never stepped inside a classroom.
- Young girls who dropped out of school to look after their younger siblings.
- Boys who worked part-time jobs to bring home ₹50 a day.
- Children who flinched at raised voices, who didn’t know how to hold a pencil.
Shalini Memorial Sewa Sansthan: A Space to Breathe
That’s how Shalini Memorial Sewa Sansthan was born—not just as a classroom, but as a sanctuary.
Today, the NGO works across 60 slum areas, running a holistic support system for children who live in extreme poverty and domestic stress. The work is grounded in three pillars:
1. Education - Children receive daily lessons through a classroom support program, designed to help them catch up and stay in school. Whether they’ve dropped out or never enrolled, Asha’s team ensures they’re learning at their own pace, without fear.
2. Nutrition - Every child receives breakfast and lunch. For many, it’s the only reliable meal of the day. Some walk long distances just to get a full stomach—and stay the whole day to learn more.
3. Emotional and Creative Engagement - From art to storytelling, group games to basic hygiene sessions, the centre is a place where children are not just taught—but are allowed to play, to laugh, and to heal.
And above all, they are reminded: You matter. You are not invisible.
The Unseen Struggle Behind Every Day
Behind this growing initiative is a daily battle to survive.
There are no government grants. No high-profile sponsors. Just a few dedicated people doing whatever they can, day after day.
- Each meal costs ₹100.
- Educating one child costs around ₹3,000 per month.
There have been days with empty cupboards, no stationery, and overdue rent. Still, Asha carries on. Because every child who learns to write or dares to speak reminds her why she began.
She remembers Shalini.
This is not just a project—it is a lifeline for children caught in cycles of poverty and violence. Your support can directly fund:
- Daily meals that give them the energy to learn
- A safe environment where they are protected from abuse
- Basic school supplies like notebooks, pencils, and uniforms
- Teacher salaries that keep the classrooms running
Let’s ensure that no child grows up believing they don’t matter. Let’s keep Shalini’s memory alive in the most powerful way possible—by giving others the life she never got to live.
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