Six Years Old And Homeless In 2013

Help me to give one little girl a chance. Please read as I share my recent experience about a six year old little girl named Aayushi.
 
March 1, 2013 - PRLog -- Her mother, one of many beggars to be found in India, sat in the dusty street hour after hour with her hand extended, hoping for help. Her sweet young daughter was asleep on the concrete. A spot on the pavement in front of a seafood-processing factory, the only place they had to call home.

Although Aayushi’s mother spoke no English, and I spoke no Hindi, we communicated through gesture and intonation. I quickly came to understand that "mujhe bok lagi hai" meant “I’m hungry,” in Hindi. Touched by both the simplicity and urgency of that statement, I left them to find the nearest food vendor, a few blocks away. I rushed back as quickly as I could with two orders of chicken with rice, flatbread, and bottled water.

When I returned, there was an Indian gentleman speaking to her, and he offered her money from his pocket. I handed her the food I’d purchased, and while I couldn’t understand exactly what she was expressing, she made her gratitude known by bowing her head and chanting softly.

Holding up my camera to communicate my request, I asked her if I could take a picture. The Indian man who was there explained that culturally, it was inappropriate for a woman to be interacting in that way with a man not her husband, but told me it was probably okay to take one photo of her daughter.

He told me that the little girl's name is Aayushi and she is 6 years old. He went on to explain that the woman made her living by begging and by selling unwanted fish that the factory discarded. Occasionally, a kind fisherman on his way to sell his catch might give her a bit to sell. He explained that the woman’s husband went away to work in Kuwait, but after being there for three years, he was killed in a car accident. Now, she was on her own, and due to the customs of her caste, unlikely to ever remarry.

I thanked the man for explaining her plight, and told him that I would like to help them in some way. He assured me that she has been squatting in that same spot for about eight months, and if I returned within a few months, I would almost certainly be able to find her there. As we spoke, Little Aayushi lay there peacefully, her head resting on a towel. I could not help but think of my own six- year old daughter, the same age as Aayushi. When I returned to my hotel room that night, I sobbed bitterly, wondering what I could do to help them.

It is my hope to purchase a simple, one-bedroom flat with a small stove and refrigerator. It sells for about $8500. It's nothing fancy, but it will provide shelter for little Aayushi and her widowed mother.

I will never forget Little Aayushi and the lesson of gratitude and generosity that she’s taught me. One cannot save everyone, but it is something to give one child hope, and it is my sincere wish that others would join me in doing that. Any donation you can provide toward this effort would be greatly appreciated: Help me to give one little girl a chance. Please visit www.GiveForward.com/Aayushi to make online donations. Any donation would be greatly appreciated.
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