For 18-year-old Anushka* (name changed) an inmate at the Girls’ Home in Saidabad (under correctional services department of the state), honing her tailoring skills for the last six months turned out to be life-changing. She is now set to join a clothing factory, earning ₹20,000 a month and is dreaming of a bright future. Before landing at the children’s home, she had spent years of her life in various orphanages, ever since her parents passed away.
Like Anushka, many others at the girls’ home have been rescued from violent households, sexual harassment, begging, prostitution, and trafficking . The home provides a haven for these girls, aged eight to 18, and focuses on transforming their lives through education, recreation, and skill development . When STOI caught up with Anushka, she was meticulously sewing a long floral gown adorned with small roses.
Proudly displaying the dresses that she has made from old sarees and kurtas, she said, “I plan to save this money and enrol in a top fashion design college. Since coming here, I’ve discovered my creativity and passion for design. Give me any old piece of cloth, even torn scraps, and I’ll turn it into a beautiful dress.
” Among other girls staying there is Chetna* who landed at the home after fleeing from an abusive family. “After my parents died in an accident in January near Vikarabad, I was left with only my sister and her husband in Mumbai. But living with them turned into a nightmare, as my brother-in-law ph.
