What started as an internship to add another certificate to my resume turned out to be much more than that. I have always been passionate about women’s issues, empowerment, and equality, so when I got the opportunity to conduct a need assessment survey for Wishes and Blessings, I was very excited. Wishes and Blessings is a Delhi-based NGO, established in 2014, with a mission to “inspire and empower dreams”. It works on diverse causes like education, nutrition, care for the elderly, skill development, happiness cause, and relief.

I always wanted to do something in the skill development sector, as it helps hundreds and thousands of underprivileged women and children to learn and earn money for themselves. We conducted the survey under Sahas- the skill development wing of Wishes and Blessings. Currently, over 28 beneficiaries from Maidan Garhi area are receiving free tailoring training from Sahas. The effort seeks to empower women from the urban slum environment by providing them with employable skills and ultimately enabling them to become financially independent.

During the survey, we visited the households in the Maidan Garhi area to gather valuable information about the residents, like their age, employment status, qualifications, etc., as well as the challenges they are facing. It will help us identify the pressing issues that require our immediate attention.

On the first day of the survey, I was not very well aware of the situation in the area we were about to survey. As we entered the area in the scorching heat, I was a little adamant on doing it, nevertheless I went along with the spirit of the team and we requested and convinced the people to talk to us. We faced several challenges initially. They were sceptical of us; they misunderstood that we were just some group of people who come and talk to display some unsolicited pity party and do nothing. We assured them that we’d do our best to help them if they talked to us about their problems and concerns.

After being assured that we tried to help them, they voiced their problems and concerns about the area as well as their family. Their concerns included- lack of sanitation, hygiene problems, and an insufficient supply of water- a basic human necessity which was a concern for almost all families there. Many women were sitting idle at home, even when they didn’t have enough money, just because their husbands didn’t allow them to work. We encouraged these women to join our free workshops held at the Maidan Garhi centre. When asked what we could do for them, we got various different responses, like free tuition for children, beauty salon courses, etc., which the NGO aims to provide to the best of its ability. Through this survey, we aim to uplift and empower the community by helping those who need our utmost help.

The survey lasted for about 4 days, and I truly got a glimpse of the harsh reality of life—what life is like for these less privileged people, who in a lot of cases have a family of 10 and are living in a house smaller than a room.

But what I didn’t expect was the way they treated us. Every second house we went into offered us food and water, a chair, and a place to sit in the shade. After all, they are the ones who have experienced the actual hardships of life and know what it is like to be out in the sun.

I would also like to thank Mahima ma’am and Dhriti ma’am from the NGO for giving me this opportunity and guiding me every step of the way.

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