Young adult

When Radhika was 8 years old, her mother disappeared and her father was injured, so she began working to help her family make ends meet. When her father became unable to care for them at all, she became the primary caretaker for her younger sister and brother. She was just 12 years old. Later, the siblings found shelter at a residential home. Because Radhika was the oldest, she aged out of the residential home first. She moved away from her siblings and joined Pathways in 2019. The transition from life in an institution to life in the outside world proved to be harder than she had anticipated. While in the residential home, she had seen movies of “normal life,” and she expected it to be “dreamy.” But the reality was much more difficult.

Our team worked hard to find her a place to live, to help her enroll in open school to finish her 10th standard (equivalent to a high school diploma), and to guide her to find a job that could provide for her needs. She landed a spot at a company that employs young women to make jewelry, and also gives them time to study and develop job readiness skills. But transitioning to full time employment was challenging for Radhika. On top of that, she had to live with roommates, manage finances, and cook meals. She longed for the comfort and security of her residential home. Over time, our team built a strong relationship with Radhika, and we were able to counsel, to encourage, and to equip her to build resilience. 

Over the months, Radhika had often shared with us her concern for her younger brother and sister. In 2021, the residential home where she lived closed down, and her brother and sister had to find somewhere to go. Radhika stepped up to the plate. She spoke to her company and got a job there for her sister. Next, she convinced her roommates to allow her sister to stay with them in their shared accommodation. Following that, she asked us to help find a place for her brother to live, and we were able to locate one at a residential home in Mumbai. Radhika signed the papers to become her brother’s guardian, and took responsibility for him at the institution.

This isn’t the only growth and strength we saw in Radhika this past year. She passed all of her 10th standard exams! She has now enrolled in the next phase of education, gotten a promotion at her job, and joined the leadership team at Pathways. She has led games for three of our events. Some other areas of growth may be less obvious, but are just as important. Managing her home, offering hospitality to others, and building positive relationships are just a few of them.

Laxmi shared, “I see Radhika meeting her targets and then going beyond them. One example of this is how, on her birthday, she decided to travel to her brother’s residential home so that they could celebrate her birthday together as a family. Instead of focusing on herself, she focused on her brother. When I heard this, I was so happy.”

We are so proud of Radhika, the amazing big sister and the incredibly resilient young woman!