Poverty-stricken girls get fresh lease of life in Sunderbans
kolkata: An orphan, Amina Mistri—who hails from the vulnerable Sunderbans—was once compelled to quit formal education due to poverty. Succumbing to the unfavourable family conditions at her house, she had to migrate to Kolkata in search of livelihood. Her sister-in law had raised objections to her stay in the house.
But, Maya Sports Academy—a philanthropic initiative aimed at bringing back poverty-stricken girls to the mainstream of education and sports to battle the menace of human trafficking—turned out to be a silver lining for the girl. Her life changed as she received assistance from the academy to pursue her education.
She was admitted to a college. She also gets football training and free academic coaching offered by the academy. For her sustenance, Amina now does sewing and agricultural work. Like Amina, other girls also got a new lease of life due to the Academy, which offers stipend to 20 girls annually along with free computer training.
The initiative has turned out to be successful in reducing the menace of trafficking in the Sunderbans, which had faced the brunt of devastating cyclones like Aila, Bulbul, Amphan and Yaas since 2009. Owing to poor economic conditions, trafficking went up in the region, especially turning school dropouts the victims.
To bring back the girls to the mainstream of life and provide them with education, nutritious food and football training, Hiren Singha Roy, a non resident Indian—who is a retired banker—and his daughter Rodica set up Maya Football Academy in 2017. It has helped many girls of the remote areas of the island to come back to the mainstream of life.
Girls of Basanti and vast surrounding areas have shown keen interest in football. The football team of the academy has become quite popular in the area and bagged several trophies in South 24-Parganas district. Because of regular practice and nutritious food, the girls have also become physically strong.
During Amphan, the huts of 250 families at Kalhazra village off Basanti had been washed away. Due to Singha Roy's initiative, a community kitchen was set up to provide food to 1230 people for a month.
Later, their houses had been reconstructed by the financial assistance provided by the Singha Roy family. Singha Roy, who recently came to Kolkata, said: "All that we need is to arm the girls with education, nourishment and confidence. Through football, we are trying to enhance their physical strength, confidence and education. This will help them to combat the changing world."
