Photo reportage for Jyothy Nilaya NGO
House of girls- India
In India, being a girl is still challenging.
At present, gender reveals have become illegal. This is because if a family finds out that the unborn child is female, they may resort to abortion. Having a daughter is seen as an economic burden: the family must pay for her education, and in arranged marriages, the bride’s family is expected to provide a dowry, which can include money, gold, cars, and more. Additionally, they are responsible for covering the cost of the wedding, which must last at least three days.
The girls I met in Kedamallure, a small village in the state of Karnataka, known for its vast terraces of coffee plantations, are indirect victims of this situation. Some of them have witnessed their mothers die at the hands of husbands who were dissatisfied and disillusioned after discovering that the woman they had been assigned to could not give them male children.
However, in these girls, I saw lively and innocent eyes, a mature attitude as they washed their clothes on their own, excitement when wearing their best dress for a Christian ceremony, and boredom during the torrential rains that would often cut off electricity for entire days.
Despite the heartbreaking stories behind them, the girls here grow up happy; the nuns who care for them work tirelessly to provide a nurturing and safe environment, ensuring they lack nothing. They are given education, emotional support, and the opportunity to participate in community activities that allow them to dream of a future beyond the hardships they have faced.
The Jyothy Nilaya association in Brescia plays a crucial role in this mission, offering long-distance sponsorship that helps cover the girls' basic needs, including schooling, healthcare, and daily essentials. Through this support, these young girls have a chance to build a brighter future, filled with hope and opportunities that were once beyond their reach
JYOTHY NYLAIA
JYOTHI NILAYA is a non-profit association (ONLUS) that provides remote support in southern India. Only through education can a person truly become a person; the right to education is the fundamental premise for development and stability. It is the most effective tool to combat poverty, marginalization, and exploitation.
Caterina Cittadini Convent-Kedamullore
State of Karnataka, South India
The mission, founded in 1979, includes a school from first to seventh grade and a shelter for poor and disadvantaged girls who can study thanks to remote sponsorships.
JYOTHY, 16 YEARS OLD.
She was enjoying her last days with the nuns. Soon, she will be transferred to a government-run hostel in another city to complete her final two years of school.
Usually, the girls can stay at the Caterina Cittadini children's home until they are 14. However, sometimes, if they haven’t attended school before, they remain longer to make up for lost years and catch up with their studies.
ROOPA, 10 YEARS OLD
Roopa lives with her sister Rukmini and their 3-year-old sister at the Caterina Cittadini home. During the summer, they spend several weeks with their mother and her partner, who has proven to be violent. The first time I saw Roopa, a few weeks after my arrival, she appeared sad, extremely thin, and was struggling to move due to pain in her legs. Sister Treesa informed me that she had lost a significant amount of weight since leaving the orphanage. We later learned that while she was at home, she spent most of her time alone with her sisters, as her mother worked in the coffee fields. During this period, her mother’s partner physically abused her, hitting her with a stick and extinguishing cigarettes on her skin. Additionally, she was only given one meal a day, usually just rice.