“We are glad we contacted Lakshmi before anything worse would have happened to her.”

“It was the most pitiful sight. Such a small child staring blankly at the body of her dead father,” recalls the outreach worker.

10 year old Lakshmi was discovered by outreach workers one fine morning during their daily rounds at the station. Lakshmi was found sitting next to her father who had passed away. The workers immediately reported the incident to the police and after completion of procedures brought the child to the center.

In the beginning Lakshmi would not speak much and would generally sit quietly at the center. However soon she started to interact with the other children and participate in various activities. “We came to know that Lakshmi’s mother had also passed away when she was very little. She had no siblings. Her father was sick for a very long time. In search of a job, they both landed at the station,” recounts the outreach worker.

Lakshmi was eventually referred to a residential school. She is now studying very well and is also well taken care of at the school. The outreach workers regularly visit the school to get an update on her progress.

“We are glad we contacted Lakshmi before anything more worse would have happened to her. We are happy that she is now in a school and we are sure she shall have a good future,” conclude the outreach workers.