Opening Doors for Orphans

Rise up. Make a difference in someone’s life.

Ranjita Mohanty

 

I grew up in a large family in Bhubaneswar. It allowed me to develop close relationships with my siblings.  However, between classes, helping my mother with the cooking, and sharing experiences daily with my siblings I had little time for reflecting on the lives of other children in Odisha who were not as fortunate to have a stable family that placed the utmost importance on education.

At the age of nineteen I left for the United States to continue my education. In due course I got married and started a family of my own. There was just no time to do much else. Twenty-five years on my son has completed his studies and started his own family. I can now think about helping the underprivileged children in Odisha to achieve their goals of advancing their education and having an opportunity to improve their lives.

Five years ago, on a trip back home, my sister took me to visit an orphanage in Bhubaneswar. I was captivated by the passion of the staff there, particularly the Administrator, Prafula Babu. Although the facilities were very basic the children appeared well cared for and content. As with many similar facilities, the orphanage lacked the financial resources to provide the children with skills that would enable them to enter an educational institution to acquire an advanced degree or a vocational skill. Without such skills the children would have little prospect of prospering in the real world once they leave the orphanage (at the age of 18 years). After my visit I decided to join my sister in helping the orphanage obtain resources to offer better educational opportunities for their children.

We have made much progress in the last few years. Two generous individuals donated land for the construction of a permanent facility for the orphanage. Construction plans have been submitted for review and approval by the government. My diligent sister has obtained commitments from multiple donors for the construction of the boundary wall. Instructors have been engaged to teach classes in computers, dance, sewing and arts and crafts. Our goal is to increase the children’s’ skill level and increase their awareness about the various opportunities that are out there for them to live productive lives. A counsellor is assisting students who will be matriculating this year with the application process for enrolment at institutions of higher learning.      

It gives me great pride to announce that two of the children are now enrolled in programs at KIIT, one of the prestigious universities (https://kiit.ac.in/) in Odisha, and are able to pursue their studies while staying in the dormitory on campus. The cost of their education is being covered by two sponsors in North Carolina (Charlotte and Greensboro). Our hope is that the achievement of these two children will inspire other children in the orphanage to pursue higher education to help them gain access to more opportunities in their lives.

Below are brief comments about their experience from the two students at KIIT, after nearly 6 months into their respective programs: