Story Helena, From a vulnerable child to a confident woman.

30 years ago, Antoinette met the then 8-year-old Helena; she was malnourished, had weak muscle tone and spastic paralysis. Her family struggled to make ends meet, and hence the health of Helena and her two sisters left much to be desired.

In 1996, Niketan donated a cow to the family, and Helena was homeschooled thanks to a field worker. Much attention was paid to supporting her parents so they learned what nutrition their daughters needed and how to encourage Helena to communicate. The cow gave birth to calves and thus the family’s income grew. A rickshaw was bought with which Helena’s father was able to earn a steady income. Schools at the time did not admit children with disabilities, so Helena had to make do with homeschooling once a week. We grew with the needs of Helena and her parents and taught her household skills so she could help her mother. Helena learned to clean the cottage, wash clothes and cook. When she was 18, we stopped supporting her. She had learned to stand on her own two feet and was part of family life.

20 years later

Last June, twenty years later, Antoinette visited Helena, who welcomed her with open arms in her brand new home. Before Antoinette stood a confident woman, someone who knows what she wants. Helena proudly told her that they had been able to replace their little house of cardboard, thatch and corrugated iron, with a corrugated iron house and eventually a brick house. Thanks to the cow they received in 1996, they were able to build their capital and are now doing well.

Helena still has low muscle tone and little strength in her arms, but she does not let that stop her in taking care of her nieces and nephews and running the household. She is an example to many others.