Heard in the brothels: Grandchildren are what matter

“It’s difficult to even earn Rs. 200 in a day,” laments Deepa* during my recent visit to GB Road.“Some days I don’t even get that.”

Covid-19’s radical jolt on everyone worldwide has indeed impacted the women in GB Road. During lockdowns, they experienced dramatic financial loss. With no customers, their source of income was gone. Many women returned to their villages, but for those who remained, things were very difficult. They were left to survive on their savings (earnings usually set aside to send to their families) and on the help of NGOs and police who provided rations. For a long time, the brothels were running with a fraction of the normal number of women, and only recently have some ladies started to return from their villages.

Walking down the street on this hot day, we have bumped into Deepa sitting with a group of women outside their brothel, using old Styrofoam boxes for stools. They offer us a box and we sit to join them. Comments about the 40-degree heat turn into complaints about lack of business.

Deepa’s face changes, though, when asked about her family. She shows photos of her little granddaughter dressed up in a fairy outfit, and her eyes light up. It used to be that women in GB Road would tell me about their children, but many women—with wide smiles—are proudly announcing that they are now grandmothers.

The same happens at our next stop. We climb narrow stairs, squeezing close to the grimy wall as customers walk down, our eyes adjusting to the darkness. It’s cooler inside, up off the street. The women sitting in the dimly lit hall invite us in and we sit down on the concrete benches. The only decoration is a clock, a large mirror, and pictures of various deities. Buckets of water are stored under the benches, while around the room sit neatly arranged piles of pots, plates, cups, a mug with toiletry items, and small gas burners. Some women are lying on the floor, trying to catch up on sleep, one woman is chopping vegetables, while others are sitting around chatting.

Asha,* recently returned from the village, fills this room with stories of her own grandchildren: how they love to dance, how they talk with her, and how they easily convince her to buy them the clothing they want. Asha speaks as if she is shocked about her 3-year-old granddaughter’s brazen demands, but it is clear she enjoys being ordered around by this child who has won her heart.

Of course, some things don’t change—Covid or no Covid—and as has happened many times before, the main topic of conversation turns to questions of when will I marry and have children? This curiosity about my marital state always seems a little ironic, considering the horrific ways many women have been treated, not only by the customers but by their own husbands and families. Yet despite this, most women I meet on GB Road can’t understand why, at my age, I am not yet married. I leave today’s visit inundated with renewed offers to help me find a husband and to look after my future children!

As I begin the journey home, I gaze back at the long row of brothels and think of the women inside whom I personally know—mothers and grandmothers, each trying to make her way in this ailing world that longs for love.

*Names changed to protect identity.

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NGT’s Atulya GB Road project seeks to come alongside sex workers and transgenders, offering listening ears and loving hearts that give practical help with medical, emotional, and social needs.

To support this effort donate HERE.

Medical Camp under the Trees

A canopy of lush green trees provided temporary relief from the hot summer sun as our team from the New Generation Trust (NGT) set up a Medical Camp late one afternoon recently.

We wanted to support people living on the roadside in one particular area of Delhi. These were families we had met earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic when we had distributed food rations, followed by regular visits to get to know them more. We knew that arranging for doctors to give consultation on site could be a great help. We selected a spot near two different settlements, hoping to make ourselves more accessible for people of different communities.

For that evening, the shady area under the trees became a Triage and Consultation Area for the two doctors who graciously volunteered their time. We used NGT’s Mobile Clinic from our Jesiah project as a dispensary to give out medicines prescribed by the doctors.

By 5 pm we saw a steady stream of people lining up to register to meet with the doctors. Many of the patients were children. People came with complaints of gastritis, skin rashes, fungal infections, and pigmentation problems. Some had wounds on their feet which needed attention. Whether due to poverty, lack of understanding about available systems, caution because of negative experiences in the past, or the pressures of daily survival, for one reason or another people had not yet sought the medical help they needed.

An older man came with extreme stomach pain, which was remedied by simple medicines. After he walked home and took the medicines, he later returned, all smiles, to thank the team for helping him to feel so much better.

Some young men pulled one of our male team members aside and shared that they felt hesitant to share their medical concerns with the female doctors on site. When it was their turn to be seen by the doctors, our team member walked over with them to bridge the gap.

One of our project leaders chatted with women waiting in line, listening to their concerns. Most mothers expressed a desire for their children to receive tuition to help with their schooling. NGT’s Sahaitha team provides non-formal educational support to at-risk women and children, so we will explore how we might assist the people educationally in this neighborhood in the future.

NGT is grateful for Delhi police personnel who checked in during the Camp to make sure everything stayed in order. We appreciate that those who came for treatment waited patiently for their turns. We thank the busy doctors who set aside the day to work with us to help the people of this neighborhood. We are also following up with those patients who needed ongoing treatment beyond what could be done in one sitting, helping them to connect with the nearest government hospital.

In the coming months we hope to continue Medical Camps periodically. We will also encourage families to take their children to a nearby dispensary to receive immunisations, as we’ve come to see that most families have not kept these up-to-date.

Jesiah is a project of the New Generation Trust.

To donate towards the medical camps or other works of NGT please click here.

Nidhi’s Joy of Learning

When Nidhi* (14) first came to Rafa Home eight years ago, she seemed severely impaired: A rare condition of Tuberculosis in her brain had left her vulnerable to epileptic seizures.We were fairly certain she could hear, but she was effectively mute, making only small grunts and sounds.She showed a mischievous side: Sometimes she would hide quietly behind the curtains in the middle of the night, and simply wait.The first few times carers awoke and found her bed empty, they searched frantically, worried that she had come to harm—only to have her suddenly jump out from the curtains, making a silly face!

Over the years, we have seen her grow in mobility and responding to carers in the limited ways she could communicate. Still, she requires help with most things, including eating and going to the toilet. She had been enrolled in a school for the differently abled, but was struggling to engage with her teachers or other students, and we sensed that she needed a change.

During Covid wave-2 lockdown, we connected to a new school which specializes in autism. The teachers there are trained to look beyond a person’s “diagnosis” and to identify the unique interventions and creative methods that work for that particular student. Almost immediately after Nidhi began online one-on-one sessions with teachers from her new school, we saw newfound enthusiasm for learning.

Nidhi’s teachers use a variety of approaches such as a ‘cooking class’ and ‘experiment time’. They aim to improve her communication and motor skills, with help of flash cards and objects, helping her strengthen her memory of events and spaces.Her activities also include imitation, taking things from one place to another, and even the joy of making lemonade.

Nidhi now engages well with her online classes. She can now recognize many objects, including her brush and toothpaste. Her motor skills are improving. Earlier she was restless and would cause a disturbance in the home when other girls were trying to enjoy movie-time, but now she loves sitting with them. She is more cooperative and expressive with the carers throughout the day. In the evenings, she often tugs their hands, indicating that she wants to go outside to walk or play—yet another change from before.

In late 2021, when lockdowns had ended and Covid numbers went low enough in the city, Nidhi’s online teachers made a special trip far across town to come visit her in person.They brought gifts and special foods for Nidhi and the other girls.Nidhi was thrilled to give them a tour of her home and was simply beaming with smiles the whole time!

It's just great to see Nidhi grow in her abilities.. we're thankful to all involved in her story.

*pseudonym. As per CWC guidelines we do not reveal names of our children.