Bala
After Bala finished Class 12, she knew her family could not afford to send her to college. A timid and shy girl, she was unsure of the path ahead. At the age of 24, she joined us at ANEW as part of the 26th Home Nursing batch. With her husband’s support and her own perseverance, she travelled eight hours a day to qualify herself. Today, the shy young woman is a confident nurse.
Over the years, Bala has taken care of many difficult patients, including her own mother who suffered from heart disease for eight years. “Initially Anu Ma’am, Subbaiyan Sir and Stella Ma’am supported me a lot and helped me gain confidence,” she says. “The stipend I received as a student helped cover my bus fare. Today, I am very proud of my job and the career I have built for myself thanks to ANEW.”
SUSHEELA
When Susheela had gone to her mother’s house to deliver her baby, the world threw her a curve ball. Her husband took her absence as an opportunity to marry someone else, and Susheela was left to fend for herself. A year later, a financially and emotionally vulnerable Susheela left her son under the care of her parents in Kerala and came to Chennai to enrol in our 63rd Home Nursing batch. In the years since, we have received excellent feedback every time Susheela finishes a project and she says the job has taught her patience and care. “ANEW is like a parent to me,” she says. “Here, I got the support to stand on my own feet and support my son. Subbaiyan Sir and Saraswathi Ma’am were always at hand to guide me through some of the toughest moments in my life. Today, over a decade later, I am able to ensure my son gets high quality education because of my career as a nurse.”