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| Sunita Giri |
It was a wonderful autumn day, 10th October 2017 Friday, the day I met Sunita. Sunita Giri, a 17-year teen was talking to me about her hope for life, with confidence in her skill and with vigor to bring change in the mindset of her society.
But just a few months ago, this was not the case. She was at a stage in her life when she felt that going to school didn't make sense anymore. For her, leading a meaningful life had nothing to do with a poor family, where her mom was always upbraided for opting an inter-caste marriage. Her father had a long severe depression and had once tried to poison himself. That preluded some symptoms of depression in her too. What transformed her then?
The turning point of her life was the 'Sikai' Project, run by Powerful Hands, an NGO run by a group of energetic youths towards creating a sustainable society. Under this project, girls fifteen years or older are brought from their villages to Kathmandu to continue their education. It aims to support motivated, intelligent young girls who want to finish their studies. Shailaja Kasaju, the vice-president of the organization met Sunita in her village at Sindhupalchowk when she was a volunteer teacher there. "Sunita was a brilliant student but she suddenly stopped coming to school for a long time. I was concerned about her. So I went to visit her home and found out about her family condition. I felt that if inspired, she could do wonders." Shailaja gradually started counseling her and giving her hope that she can excel. She passed her school and was confident enough to join her for her higher studies in Kathmandu.
However, things didn't turn out as she had expected. Her family problems engulfed her and she started showing symptoms of depression. Frequent mood swings, irritation, self-loathing and anger were common in her. Looking at her condition, Shailaja and her team decided to make her a part of another of their project called ‘women's empowerment.' They had started the project aiming to teach women from villages how to produce and sell their own products so that they could become financially independent and therefore be less likely to be exploited and trafficked. Sunita had always had an interest in handicrafts. Making crafts out of raw materials found at home had always been her favorite pass time and these days under this project, Sunita is going to different villages and helping adult women to acquire this skill and earn their living out of it.
"Teaching women of my mother's age made me feel great and happy about myself. The exhilaration I feel when I craft baskets is inexpressible." Sunita shares. These days in her free time she is busy crafting tea coasters from pine needles.
A lot of young girls like Sunita are extremely prone to depression but unfortunately, many of them aren't getting proper guidance and support. If only someone was there to listen to them non-judgmentally, it would be of great help. If you are deep into depression, one positive thought might not be enough to change your brain chemistry. However, continuous sharing of feelings might help before someone actually falls victim of serious depression. Sometimes, it takes more than just asking a person whether the glass is half or full. And most of the times, the idea of more is simply having deep one-on-one conversations about their lives, hobbies, and unconscious dreams.
Sunita is now studying in grade 11 and aspires to become a social worker. She now helps her friends to dream big and work for their future. Even now, there are some days when she feels low and thinks of life as a burden. However, during those times, Shailaja and her team sit down with her and help her find meaning in her life.
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