My Work Is My Opportunity to Serve

I still remember my first visit to a family as vividly as it was yesterday. Strangely enough, this family had settled down better and I did not feel a tug at the heart when I met the children and their mother. But after a few visits in the next couple of days, every day was a humbling experience, every day made me realise the havoc the pandemic had caused among the families, especially children, and every day made me choke with emotions ranging from sadness, empathy and sympathy, fear and shock.

I was moved to tears when I met this 26-year young widow who narrated her story. She told me that she was in the ninth month of her pregnancy when she lost her husband to Covid. She delivered her baby boy 15 days after his death. I managed not to shed tears in front of the mother but her story haunted me for several days and made me emotional.

Another story that disturbed me a lot was that of a young graduate who was working as a teacher. This teacher had 3 abortions prior and was weak in her body and mind. After a few years though, she delivered a beautiful girl child. But her happiness was short lived. Just when the child had started expressing her first words like Maa, Paa…, her father contracted the virus and died of Covid. Within a few months, the child’s maternal grandmother died and the child’s paternal grandmother too passed away. Just when the mother was recovering from the shock and trying to heal, the next blow came, when the child’s paternal and maternal grandfathers too, died at short intervals. Covid had taken all their lives, leaving a void for the child and mother that could never be filled. I was at a loss to even offer consolation to this mother. Over the last year, I have seen, heard and experienced several such stories of death, destruction and distress. Being a social worker, I realised that ‘My Work Is My Opportunity to Serve’, the neediest segment of society, who have lost everything but continue with hope. I consider it my blessing to serve such families and am thankful for the opportunity that I have got through the aegis of Bala Mandir Kinship Care.