Chance to Blossom!

A Chance to Blossom!
10-year-old Palavi was detected with brain tumour and, following surgery for removal of the tumour, she became totally Blind! And, just because of her blindness, she was thrown out of her school from class 4! She along with her mother were completely devastated, as disability now added to their existing misery of poverty, and, an abusive home environment!
Palavi was discovered by us in 2017 January, during our home to home community mobilizing and awareness creating drives! Her mother was informed about our education programme for visually impaired children, and her instant reaction was that she did not want to put her lovely little girl into a blind school! She said, she could never imagine her dear daughter living a life of a blind person for the rest of her life! Both mother and daughter were counselled and encouraged to just come and meet with me just once, and, after that, it will be their decision as to what they wanted to choose for dear little Palavi!
Ultimately, both Palavi and her mother came to Silver Linings Shiksha, where they met me, and when I told them my life story, it seemed to bring a ray of hope into both their hearts! The very fact that I too had been blind since my childhood, and, the very sight of me doing what I was trying to do today, gave them immense confidence, and, immediately Palavi was enrolled with Silver Linings Shiksha on 2nd January 2017! They knew and now could believe, that if I had achieved what I had, despite my blindness, there certainly was hope for Palavi!
Palavi was an exceptionally hard-working and extremely intelligent young little girl!
Following a detailed assessment programme, an individualized education programme was designed for her, which would prepare her to get back into a good mainstream school as soon as possible! Our aim was to give her back, her lost opportunity to study with sighted children, and that to as independently as possible! We taught her Braille, tailor frame for helping her to do mathematics. We simultaneously taught her to use the computer and laptop, with speaking software, so she could do all her reading and writing work on the same, completely independently! She was also trained to use other gadgets like an e-book reader and smart phone to have her as empowered, accomplished and efficient, as much as her sighted counterparts! These skills and gadgets entirely would manage to remove her reading and writing handicap, and, soon she would be ready to take on the world all by herself once again!
She was also trained in independent mobility skills, along with communication and social skills, personality development and self-defense and safety tactics! In addition, she was given training in independent cooking and home management as well!
I am absolutely delighted to tell you that with all of us working hard together, within just six months, Palavi managed to get admission into one of Delhi’s best public school in Mayur Vihar Phase 3! She was integrated into class 5 of Salwan Public School! She had mastered all the skills and techniques, including working on the laptop in both English and Hindi languages, also, was able to do mathematics on the machine totally independently! And so we gave her very own laptop, which she took to her school right from the first day! This laptop has ever since been her books and notebooks, all in one, in class and at home! Now Palavi is in class 9, and, she has right from day one, been a very high scorer! She scored a great 88% in her first year at school, and ever since, has scored nothing less than a whopping 94% and above! And she does all her work independently by herself, of course, Silver Linings continues to support her with all the required teaching learning material, extra coaching and everything else she may need!
Palavi actively participates in activities like sports, creative art, dance and music in her school and at Shiksha! She has run three Marathons and secured first position in the wall climbing competition with 5 points when her sighted class fellows only scored 2 or 3!
Through the covid lockdown time, Palavi has attended online classes independently, and has taken all her exams just like all her sighted classmates! In fact, every one of them attended classes via laptop, and Palavi was just the same! She scored 95% in her last final exams, and is now preparing for taking her class 9 exams! Mathematics is her favorite subject, and she is fast developing into a beautiful, smart and accomplished young lady!
Her dream is to become an IAS officer, and Silver Linings will be there to help and support her in achieving her fabulous dream!

There could be countless such wonderful stories of possibilities, only if we all come together, and help our visually impaired and blind children, to be able to get an opportunity of a quality and equal opportunity and full participation!
Please do come forward and support the work of Silver Linings in whatever way you can! For more information, please feel free to connect with me on:
Hand Phone: 91 9871701646
E mail:
Preeti.monga@silver-linings.org
Preeti Signing off for now!