Nirojini

14 year old Nirojini is a resident Unnichchai, a village in Batticaloa. She has undergone much sorrow and hardship for her age. In the year 2007 she along with her mother, father and 5 siblings, had to flee from their home due to uprising violence caused by the war in her home town. For one and a half years they had no proper roof over their heads. All they had to call home was a welfare center. Nirojini’s father, a labourer, had no steady livelihood upon which he could support his family. Nirojini and her sister are schooling at Puthukudiyirupu. Because of the far distances between their home in Unnichchai and Puthukudiyirupu, she and her sister are now living in Puthukudiyirupu.

“I never took part in any school activities” Nirojini said sadly. “We didn’t have a lot of money; I couldn’t ask my father for money so I could take part in after school activities. I had to manage with what I had, which was not much. All I did was go to school and come home straight away. To participate in the activities in school you need money. For instance you need clothes and shoes to take part in dramas, singing competitions or sports activities. My family couldn’t afford any of those things. I couldn’t even go for tuition classes or get help for my studies like the other children.” she continued. 

But now Nirojini is a member of the Change Makers Club of Puthukudiyirupu which was started in 2007. “Now I am able to take part in all the activities in the club. I have been the vice president of our club for the last three months” says Nirojini feeling proud of her achievement. “We also get involved in preparing budgets and planning out the weekly club activities. Through the club I have got the opportunity to be a part of something valuable. I didn’t have this chance before” continued Nirojini, “Many of us here, never had the chance to contribute, but now we can. Now we are considered important and we have a responsibility. I have been able to learn valuable disciplines and I have got the courage to participate in all the activities we have in this club. I am very grateful to everyone. I thought that I lost my childhood, and I would never be like other children. But now I have been given a second chance”.