New Delhi: “When you look into your mother’s eyes, you know that’s the purest love you can find on this earth.” Mother’s Day is all about making that one person feel special and loved.
On the occasion of Mother’s Day, NewsMobile got in touch with Veena Lal, founder of NGO Karm Marg in Faridabad. She is the soul behind nurturing and taking care of thousands of children over the last 25 years.
What was the idea behind starting this NGO?
“I always wanted to work with children. Till the time we started the NGO, I had already worked with children for more than eight years. I was working with children of different backgrounds. A lot of ideas were tossed around before starting the NGO. We always believed in nurturing children through a ‘family concept’. We believed in the idea of a small family to help children integrate into society.” she added while talking with NewsMobile.
How do you approach a child when you first meet them?
“Community living is the basis of our societal structure. Back in the day, an entire village would engage in raising a child. The concept of family is very important for a child. We have ensured that this culture is built here. We are not working with thousands of children at a time. We work with 50 children and I remember their names, I can recognize their voices. My relationship with them is personal and institutional. The idea is strictly followed throughout the staff and volunteers that a sense of personal bond needs to be developed with children.” she added.
She further added that “We don’t treat these children with sympathy. We believe that they need guidance. We also ensure that every child has equal opportunity. It makes the process of building trust a little bit easy with love and care.”
How fruitful do you think your approach to a Family Concept NGO has been over the years?
“The most unique concept that we introduced in our NGO was keeping different genders together. The dormitories are different but everyone participates in different activities together. We also integrate a small group of Intellectually Disabled children with other kids. We have developed an environment of caring and nurturing over the years. In 25 years I have realized that if you keep children together, they understand each other better. In my NGO, boys are not ashamed of cooking, washing dishes, or clothes, they are better than girls. We are proud that we have gained this over the years.”, she quoted.
What impact does a farm type of lifestyle have on children?
“I have a strong belief that every school and home should first teach their child how to take care of what’s around you. For example, when a parent is walking on the road a street dog approaches his child, and they scare away the dog. The child starts to develop a feeling of destroying things that scare him/her. We need to help them learn the importance of co-existing. Children I deal with have this habit of destroying things around them. We start teaching them right from that stage. We help them understand through different ways and make them aware.”, she added.
The life of Veena Lal is not just inspiring but also insightful. A life dedicated to protecting and nurturing little souls and helping them stand on their feet and face the world.