With my trip to India now just a week away, I thought it was time to talk about the reasons why the work of Unique Home is vitally important and why we are so proud of our involvement with the charity.
The Grim Alternative for the Girls at Unique Home
It’s a truly horrific reality that female infanticide is prevalent in India. Female infanticide is defined as the unlawful killing of a female infant which is almost always because of culture as opposed to religion. The patriarchal nature of Indian society means that for some, male babies are held in higher regard because of the better earning potential the baby has for the family. In addition, families fear the dowry system which requests the family of a daughter gives money to her future in-laws.
The idea that a baby could be discarded with the household rubbish is something that we simply cannot wrap our heads around; but it is happening, and it’s happening more than you may think. Worldwide, it is estimated by The United Nations that as many as 200 million girls have lost their lives due to female infanticide, with India and China making up a large proportion of this figure.
Without Unique Home, the 61 girls currently living there would almost certainly not be alive today. The abominable reality is that being poisoned with fertilizer, fed dry rice or wheat pellets to puncture their windpipes, smothered with towels or being put into a bag and tossed into a sewer are all very real ways in which these little girls could have been killed.
The Work of Unique Home
Prakash Kaur set up the home back in 1991, having been abandoned as a baby herself. Prakash Kaur, referred to affectionately as Bibi Ji has dedicated her life to making sure that these girls not only have their basic needs met, but also to ensuring the girls receive a first class education. Bibi calls each and every girl her daughter and shows them the endless love and affection that only a mother could. In short, the girls are part of a family, not a number in an orphanage.
How We Hope to Help
We have always been humbled by the work of Unique Home and so I am so extremely proud to be going out to meet the girls, the volunteers and the staff members on behalf of Inbound. During my time there I will be making a video, as well as providing social media training to some of the older girls and creating profiles of each girl to be uploaded on their website when I return.
Our commitment to Unique Home stretches above and beyond simply the four days that I will be there; we are putting plans into place to offer continued support through fundraising events and by assisting with their website on an on-going basis, helping them to connect effectively with the rest of the world via both their own website and through social media.
On a final note, Nick, James, Vik and Martin are all taking part in a 5k Mud Run next week to raise money for a laptop which I can then take out as a present for the girls. Please take a second to check out the Just Giving page and donate if you can!
