Anuja Deshpande

Lakhmapur and Mandva in Nagpur District, Maharshtra. As a Sewa volunteer, I was looking forward to this event, since I perceived it as a great opportunity to connect directly with the community. However, I did not anticipate the depth of our interaction with the residents of these villages. When we reached Lakhmapur, we had a very heart-warming welcome. Jankalyankari samiti runs an initiative where they train Arogya Sevikas (Health care workers) and Sanskar varga sevikas (After school tutoring) from remote villages for sustainable development of these areas in long term. The kids from Sanskaar Varga presented welcome song and were excited to meet us. Distribution of kits was a small part of the event. It was more of a safe platform for women to share their issues about health and education. It was heart wrenching to see young women craving to study but schools and colleges are closed. They have no other means to get educated. Many young women wanted to pursue under graduation, however, these villages do not have regular public transport especially during pandemic. Since March of 2020, when the lock down started, the kids have missed out on studies. This is such an important age for mental development and missing out on education will have long term repercussions. The Sanskar Varga Sevikas are bridging this gap and trying their level best to lead children of these villages into right direction. Our team also spoke to young women about self-reliance in face of adversity. As Sewa volunteers we obtained a fresh perspective on from where we have come and how far we have to go as a community.