Parenting classes give Bhanu a ray of hope
Bhanu is no stranger to the parenting classes held at the Ashraya Initiative for Children (AIC) Health and Community Outreach Centre in Pune, India. In fact, prior to the birth of her youngest son this spring, she attended a year-long parenting class with her second-youngest and learned a great deal about toddler care and development. With the birth of her fifth child in late spring, she was grateful to join the parenting class for mothers and infants to learn more about how to be the best mother possible for her new baby.
Bhanu has known hardship all of her life. Her marriage was arranged when she was hardly a teenager, and over the years, she has struggled to provide for herself and her family by selling used clothes and cloth material on the side of the road. Her children range in age from 11 years to a mere 4 months old. During the course of Bhanu’s last pregnancy, she was diagnosed with a life threatening condition and her husband abandoned her and her children, leaving the family to fend for themselves. Her infant son spent nearly a month after birth in and out of the hospitals, at times in critical condition, before his health stabilized and she could bring him home for good.
Although she benefits from the information conveyed during the classes – birth spacing and family planning, breastfeeding, nutrition, medical care, infant growth and development – Bhanu feels like she has most benefited from the support, guidance and camaraderie of the classes. During her darkest hours, when she was struggling with abandonment, a life threatening medical condition, and nearly losing her new baby, she always felt like she could count on the love and support of the health workers and the other new mothers in the class. The classes have also provided her with a great deal of guidance related to managing her own illness as well as taking care of her medically-fragile son, who is now flourishing. Finally, she is always grateful for the nutritious snacks and small attendance gifts (hygiene products like baby shampoo, soap, etc) that she receives for attending the class.
Thank you, Tim and Sherie, Joe and Karen, and Microsoft for giving Bhanu the support she craves to make it through this difficult time.