Dear Friends,
Last week I shared some lessons about leadership that I myself have learnt over the years.
Effective Leaders -
Don't pity themselves
Embrace change
Don't worry about the things they can't change
Realise they can't please everyone
Take calculated risks
Further lessons -
Don’t dwell on the past: Spending time thinking about the past and brooding about "the good old days" is not what effective leaders waste time doing. We need to acknowledge the role of others in our successes and learn from our mistakes. We have to live for today and plan for tomorrow.
Learn from their mistakes: Take responsibility for our own actions and learn from mistakes made in the past. Because of this, effective leaders do not repeat past mistakes and are able to make better choices in the future.
Refuse to give up: Failure for an effective leader is not a reason to give up. Instead, we view it as an opportunity to grow and get better, so we are willing to keep plugging along until we get it right.
Value alone time: They know now how to enjoy one's own company and view alone time as a time to decompress and be productive. Being alone does not scare effective leaders, as we do not depend on others for entertainment or companionship. Effective leaders can be happy on their own.
Don’t feel as if they are owed anything: Effective leaders do not feel a sense of entitlement for anything. They don’t feel society owes them anything, nor do family members or friends. They know they are capable of taking care of themselves and do not have the mentality that others should take care of them.
The fact that you care enough about these weekly updates about the work of Purnata is a significant part of what fuels our daily work and reminds me that we have a strong team of caring well-wishers behind us, interested in the work our team and I are doing.
Friend, will you join us and become a partner with Purnata by making a monthly gift, which will make a difference in our ability to save women & children? Your monthly gift will immediately go to work to help us prevent, rescue, rehabilitate & reintegrate women & children from and in trafficking situations. Best of all, you’ll feel even more connected to the work that we’re all doing to end trafficking, together. Click here to DONATE!
Thank you for supporting Purnata. We’re here, doing this work, because of people like you, who make it possible.
Yours sincerely for a traffic-free world,
aaboo :-)
Glimpses of what our staff have been up to:
This week our staff saw two teenage boys come to the area as customers to Mansi, a new girl in the area. Our staff stopped those boys and enquired about what they were doing in the area. One of them said that he just came here to experiment. When our staff asked them for their Aadhar card or some age proof they didn't have anything. Our staff asked them to leave the area and also strictly made it clear to Mansi that she cannot take minors.
All staff managing finances in the projects were given a short training and orientation last week
Sad short stories from our service:
Suresh is a 15-year-old boy studying in grade 9. He has two siblings - a brother who is working and another sister who is studying in primary school. His mother who is suffering from cancer is now admitted to the hospital. In spite of all these struggles he still comes regularly for football practice. On 8th June he was trying to cook for the first time. He tried to open a hot cooker without releasing the pressure. It exploded and the hot steam burned his face and chest. He needs help & care.
Surekha’s son Ganesh is addicted to various addictive substances and still not realising the need to give it up in spite of all the issues she faces due to it.
Ramaya’s father, who stays in their village, accidentally fell down and died. She is grieving and rushing home.
Reshma’s daughter fell down the stairs and her left hand is fractured. She is in pain.
Glimpses of Hope in our service:
Mr. Biswas, a businessman from Mumbai distributed school stationery, bags and hair bands for children over the last two weeks, making two trips.
We found out that some of the women we have been working with have gone back to their homes and not planning to come back. Chanda, Sabrina, Kruti and Jaspreet left the area and went back hoping to start life afresh.
Firoza's son passed his H.S.C and got 2nd Rank. She celebrated with our team by distributing sweets. Also, Sarita’s daughter passed her 10th exam.
Fahad has been admitted to Laxmi Narayan School 9th std after having dropped out of school for some time.
Short stories of hope:
Rheema is enjoying her bakery classes. Last week she made a chocolate cake and she loves sharing her experience. It gives a lot of confidence. Coffee classes are a little difficult for her because the procedure of making coffee is very quick and she is finding it difficult to match the timing though she is trying to learn.
Zaid is a teenager who grew up in the Red Light Area now working in a catering company. He tends to get angry quickly and end up in a quarrel. We have tried counselling him that friends pull each other's legs so as not to take it personally. We have strongly encouraged him to get re-admission into school and have spoken to his mother too. The admissions will start on the 15th and she has agreed to enrol him.
Updates and Needs:
#World Environment Day
In the source area, our staff celebrated World Environmental Day on 5th June with the children. A drawing competition was held apart from a discussion about the importance of the environment. 24 children from the community participated in our Day Care Centre.
#Interns from St. Joseph's College, Bangalore
Hosanna & Criselle are two students studying for their Post graduation from college who are doing a one-month internship as part of college requirements. After the initial paperwork and orientation, they have both been assigned to the two different red light areas to teach children.
#HCL symposium
Aaboo had the opportunity to join the HCLTech Grant symposium at SPJIMR. it was a great time for networking and understanding better how Purnata can apply for the HCLTech Grant and also be ready for other CSR funding opportunities.
#Proposals done
We have sent proposals to Share & Care from the US and a Letter of Intent to Oak Foundation from Switzerland.
We have started crowdfunding on Milaap platform.
We also applied for Conquest BITS Pilani | Startup Accelerator to help restart Amoli.
#Proposals in the office/ Proposals and the offering
We are working on the HCL Tech Grant to be submitted on the 25th of June.
We are finalising a proposal to Oak Foundation without a due date.
We are beginning to work on Data for Good Exchange (D4GX) 2023 India Empowerment Challenge due on the 26th of June.
#Urgent Needs
Do continue to pray for our financial needs of nearly Rs. 15 lakhs every month.
We need urgently Rs. 50,000 per child for four of the children we care for (50,000 x 4 = Rs. 2,00,000) covering their school fees, books and uniforms, etc in an English Medium school.
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