Supreeti is an 11-year-old girl who used to live with her mother and siblings in Bhubaneswar. Unfortunately, she had lost her father at a very young age. The situation became more difficult for her family as they lost the breadwinner for the family. Her mother could not afford to go out of the house as her children were small, so she decided to sell handia (rice beer) to meet their needs. Supreeti started going to a school in her locality, which was run by RED E pathshala but unfortunately had to be closed in 2019. Due to financial problems, her mother could not admit her to another school, and later she got addicted to the same drink (Haldia) that she used to sell. Eventually, Supreeti and her siblings were also addicted to alcohol and other harmful substances. Addiction to these toxic substances also made her lose her interest in her studies.
Our team found her roaming and struck up a conversation with her. She was given our best efforts to increase her awareness of the right path to choose, and we persuaded her to come to the SOCH’s three weeks behavioural modification camp. Initially, she refused to join the camp, but we managed to convince her mother. As she didn’t get the gutka and handia there, she was very irritated and did not participate in activities. Still, gradually through counselling, we noticed a change in her behaviour. With camp team members’ continuous efforts, she changed her behaviour.
After the camp, The SOCH team enrolled her in Ramadevi high school, where she has been getting free education with residential facilities as our team wants to build a better life and future for the child. As we all know, COVID 19 is forcing children to be at home, and schools have been closed. SOCH has been providing remedial classes to ensure that children have access to the education facility
