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Tuesday
Feb032015

BGR is a Great Way to Help Others

BGR is a great relief agency making a difference around the world. Click here to donate.

Read the article below or click here to go to BGR's website.

 

Asha*, 18, is a bright, creative young woman who loves dancing and who can’t stand to sit still. She currently lives in India at the Atulya Home, which offers love and care for women who have been trafficked or sexually abused. There, she has continued to heal from a life of child marriage and slavery.

That nightmare began when Asha was a young teenager and her parents died. In India, it’s common for girls to get married at that age, so her remaining relatives wed Asha to an older, handicapped man.

He beat her often, and Asha was miserable.

Eventually, the girl’s aunt took her away from her husband and brought her to a large city where Asha could work through an agent as a domestic maid. This situation wasn’t any better. The teen went to work for a local family, and every member of it beat and verbally abused her. They also gave all of her wages to the agent. Asha never received a single rupee.

One day, she decided she had suffered enough, and Asha ran away.

As she loitered in a public place, wondering where to go, a strange man approached her. Instead of helping her, he abused Asha and then threatened to kill her if she talked told anyone what he had done.

Alone, Asha slept on the street. Fortunately, police officers noticed her and picked her up. They sent her to a children’s home, where she could find safety. She later moved to another home, where she began to heal, deal with her emotions and study. During this time, Asha gathered her courage and testified against the agent who formerly employed her, and the government forced the agent to give Asha the money she had earned working as a maid.

When she turned 18, Asha moved into the Atulya Home. There, she began to dream about what her life could hold. The young woman currently wants to become a doctor so she can care for impoverished people. She wants to help others in desperate situations.

But for now, she continues to study. Because of her late start, Asha is still in primary school, and she won’t enter medical school for a long time. However, the Atulya staff loves the fact that she is thinking about her future.

After all Asha has endured, the future could hold something wonderful for her.

*Name changed

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