Moving on with Second Chance

“I am a Yoga teacher and have requested Pratham to grant me an hour in a week to teach Yoga to our students for free,” said Saleema proudly.

Saleema is one of many success stories from Pratham’s Second Chance program. Along her path to success, Saleema encountered several challenges. Today, however, she has reached out to Pratham not for help, but to offer her own professional services.

Saleema belongs to a conservative Muslim family. After having dropped out of school in 9^th Grade, she was married off at a very young age. Her husband was unable to have children with his first wife and married Saleema to fulfill his family’s wishes. However, five years into the marriage, Saleema could not conceive. It was now obvious that her husband was physically unable to father a child. He and his family did not receive this news well, harassing Saleema instead. Around the same time, Saleema developed Appendicitis. Grabbing the opportunity, her husband and his first wife sent her back to her natal home permanently.

Back home, Saleema had no support from her parents, who also began to harass her. It was at this point of her life that she met Varsha, from Pratham. Saleema’s painful story moved Varsha, who then made financial arrangements to enroll Saleema in the next batch of Pratham’s Second Chance program. Although Saleema was delighted by the news, she was skeptical about coping with the syllabus after 14 years of dropping out of school.  After much compelling support from the Pratham staff, Saleema attempted the pre-test of the program.

“When I saw my answer sheet, I began to cry. I realized that I did not know anything which was a blow to my confidence. Somnath Sir and Harshna Ma’am consoled and encouraged me. I can confidently tell you that only Pratham teachers can do this; they have the ability to teach you till you firmly understand the concept,” she said. “From teaching us how to read and write, to preparing us for our board examinations, these teachers were with us until the end. I began to understand the subjects, and this understanding further motivated me to learn. I worked hard, and I passed the 2014-15 board examinations with 61%.”

Surprisingly, it was Saleema’s father who first phoned on the day the results were declared, and he enthusiastically shared the news with friends and relatives.

“After the result, my parents firmly stood behind me. Maybe this increased their self-confidence as they then allowed me to study further. I took admission in 11th grade”, said Saleema. Unfortunately, her troubles did not end here. With the untimely demise of her brother, she had to support her sister-in-law and take care of their baby. Saleema was able to surmount these difficult circumstances better than before. She derived strength from her family and passed 12^th Grade with 61%, simultaneously completing a six-month diploma course in Yoga and Acupuncture.

Today, Saleema works as a Yoga teacher in a Patanjali clinic and is pursuing her advanced studies. She has absolute faith in Yoga and wants to teach the same to other women, with the hope that it will empower them to fight the many problems they face and lead them to a brighter future. She is particularly keen on teaching Yoga to every woman in Pratham’s Second Chance classrooms. She identifies with the difficulties each of these women face in life and hopes to make them physically, mentally and emotionally capable of facing the world. In Saleema’s words, this is her way of thanking Pratham.