Shivani’s Story You can read all about Shivani and her bravery on our Instagram: View this post on Instagram She stands in front of her shanty house, calling out for her little brother to take her hand and lead her inside. Shivani is blind. She lost her vision 4 years ago when she and her family were working in a brick kiln as migrant laborers. Migrant laborers make up about 30% of the nation’s population (approximately 326 million). Yet, they are treated as second-class citizens. They face many constraints- lack of identity proof, lack of adequate housing, insecure & hazardous work, extreme vulnerability of women and children to trafficking and sex exploitation, and exclusion from state-provided services such as health & education. Thankfully, Shivani’s parents recently relocated to Delhi for work, and the job site is nearby One Life to Love’s Home of Hope and DayCare center. Shivani and her younger siblings attend our center daily along with many other migrant children. One Life to Love aims to give Shivani and all our children the tools necessary to rise above their circumstances. Very basic things- like learning how to write their own names, receiving three healthy meals a day, practicing good hygiene, wearing a uniform, sitting in a classroom- have literally changed these children’s lives. For more on Shivani's story, check out tomorrow’s post! We will also be sharing Shivani’s story at our Annual Gala on May 7th in Ocean, NJ. *Link in Bio* #ChangetheworldforShivani #wearebuildinghope #orphanage #homeofhope #India #Changetheworld #OnelifetoLove #Ol2l #giveBack #donate #charity #nonprofit #socialgood #community #dogood #fundraising #love #change #bethechange #causes #instagood #children #nj #njcharity #monmouthcounty A post shared by One Life to Love (@onelifeloved) on Mar 7, 2020 at 4:55pm PST View this post on Instagram "My eyes are ruined.." “I keep having this dream that bothers me. In this dream, my blindness disappears and I can see everything. I can see the grass, the sky, my home- and everything is beautiful and clean. I can see my mother standing far away in a field calling me. I can see my own face in the mirror and my eyes are just as I remember them. And I can see my father smiling and giving alms in the temple. This dream bothers me because I know that I can never see these things ever again. My eyes are ruined. I lost my vision four years ago, and I still don’t know how to live like this. I always need help from my younger siblings and parents, and that bothers me a lot. I feel helpless. I’m always in pain.” -Shivani, 12 years, OLTL DayCare student To find out how One Life to Love is helping Shivani find the health, strength and confidence to overcome her challenges, see tomorrow's post. #ChangetheworldforShivani #wearebuildinghope #orphanage #homeofhope #India #Changetheworld #OnelifetoLove #Ol2l #giveBack #donate #charity #nonprofit #socialgood #community #dogood #fundraising #love #change #bethechange #causes #instagood #children #nj #njcharity #monmouthcounty A post shared by One Life to Love (@onelifeloved) on Mar 8, 2020 at 6:01pm PDT View this post on Instagram “If I could open my eyes and see for just one moment, I would want to see everything… that is because I remember everything the way it was. And I miss it…I miss everything.” One Life to Love is helping Shivani to find joy in life again. When we first met Shivani, she was in a deep state of grief over the loss of her vision. She was angry, depressed and insecure. We took Shivani into our DayCare center and under our wing. We introduced her to new activities to heighten her other senses and help her gain self-confidence. She took to music and soon Shivani learned to sing a new song, literally and figuratively. Check out tomorrow's post for more on Shivani's daily life in OLTL's DayCare. #ChangetheworldforShivani #wearebuildinghope #orphanage #homeofhope #India #Changetheworld #OnelifetoLove #Ol2l #giveBack #donate #charity #nonprofit #socialgood #community #dogood #fundraising #love #change #bethechange #causes #instagood #children #nj #njcharity #monmouthcounty A post shared by One Life to Love (@onelifeloved) on Mar 9, 2020 at 5:55pm PDT View this post on Instagram "I feel excited about my life again. [OLTL] showed me that I can learn new things, like songs, music and dance. When I am scared, [the housemothers] are always encouraging me, and they help me feel brave." Every day is a new battle for Shivani as she faces her challenges and fears. She is winning. And she has a team of housemothers, doctors, therapists, counselors, brothers, sisters and teachers in her corner rooting her on every step of the way. When you donate to OLTL, you are helping us provide Shivani and other children like her with the help and support they need, giving them a new chance at life. #ChangetheworldforShivani #wearebuildinghope #orphanage #homeofhope #India #Changetheworld #OnelifetoLove #Ol2l #giveBack #donate #charity #nonprofit #socialgood #community #dogood #fundraising #love #change #bethechange #causes #instagood #children #nj #njcharity #monmouthcounty A post shared by One Life to Love (@onelifeloved) on Mar 10, 2020 at 6:15pm PDT View this post on Instagram Shivani might leave OLTL and never come back. Migrant children like Shivani move from job site to job site at a moment's notice. They rarely stay at one job for more than 6 months. They live on the streets and job sites making them extremely vulnerable to exploitation and human traffickers. Shivani needs a safe home. Unfortunately, at present OLTL does not have the capacity to care for girls with special needs. That is why we are seeking to raise $2 million to build Campus that will include a Home for Girls with Special Needs in addition to our Home for Boys with Special Needs and so much more! Do you want to provide Shivani, and other girls like her, with a HOME where she can receive life-long care and protection? Attend our Annual Gala and be part of this revolutionary project. *Link in Bio* #ChangetheworldforShivani #wearebuildinghope #orphanage #homeofhope #India #Changetheworld #OnelifetoLove #Ol2l #giveBack #donate #charity #nonprofit #socialgood #community #dogood #fundraising #love #change #bethechange #causes #instagood #children #nj #njcharity #monmouthcounty A post shared by One Life to Love (@onelifeloved) on Mar 12, 2020 at 6:25pm PDT View this post on Instagram "I'm not alone anymore… My mom and dad are either crying or fighting. They don't know how to care for me. I feel like a burden to them and that I should not be in this world." "But [in the OLTL Daycare] I feel happy. The other students always take me by my hand and ask me to play with them… The housemothers comb my hair and make sure my uniform is clean. I'm happy for my younger siblings that they can study here, too. This is a good home and I want to be here always." OLTL is also counseling Shivani's parents to help them navigate the grief they are experiencing as a result of Shivani's vision loss. The pressure of poverty and now their daughters' disability is sometimes too much for them to handle. "We have nothing. But we love our children and we don't want to see them suffer like this. [OLTL] is good for my daughter, for my family. It has brought us peace." When you donate to OLTL you are providing relief for parents like Shivani's- parents who love their children but are bound by the injustices of poverty. #ChangetheworldforShivani #wearebuildinghope #orphanage #homeofhope #India #Changetheworld #OnelifetoLove #Ol2l #giveBack #donate #charity #nonprofit #socialgood #community #dogood #fundraising #love #change #bethechange #causes #instagood #children #nj #njcharity #monmouthcounty A post shared by One Life to Love (@onelifeloved) on Mar 13, 2020 at 6:35pm PDT Tweet
