Back2Back’s India Site Director, Goldie, had arrived at her destination. She looked around for the familiar face she was there to meet, and finally made eye contact with Sahana*. Her brown eyes warmed as she made her way to Goldie. Sahana and Goldie are familiar with each other, but on that particular day, they were meeting to grow their relationship and build trust.
From an early age, Sahana experienced loss; first her mother and then later, her father to illness. It was then that she moved to Back2Back’s India Hope Campus and remained in holistic, family-style care until graduating 10th class. She then transitioned into Back2Back’s Hope Program.
“Sahana’s life hasn’t always been easy or filled with supportive people,” shared Goldie. “When her parents passed, neither side of her family was willing to keep her full-time, and once she was in the Hope Program and a residential college, the staff team and I took her circumstances very seriously. We wanted her to know she was not forgotten or unloved.”
Sahana was dealing with a more rigorous study schedule in college and tasked with connecting with peers and enjoying her new space. When she considered the familial struggles she was facing on top of all this, she felt a heaviness she was unable to handle alone.
“Sahana became very withdrawn and sad,” shared Goldie. “It was then that I, along with the Hope Program mentors, decided meeting with her weekly may help her come out of this fog she was experiencing.”
As staff continued looking for family who would provide care and lodging for Sahana when she was on holidays from school, Goldie met with her every week. They attended outings together and the young lady slowly opened up, sharing her grief, concerns, and desires with Goldie.
“We continually reminded her she wasn’t alone, that we were there for her, all Back2Back staff, and that she wasn’t without family, it just may look different from her peers,” explained Goldie.
Staff recently located a cousin on Sahana’s mother’s side of the family. She was married young, with three children, and a husband who recently underwent spinal surgery. When asked if there was room for Sahana, they readily said yes, and then her cousin shared a goal she’d had to open a tea shop in her house. Back2Back agreed to let Sahana move in, and they contributed toward the costs of starting the tea shop to help it take off.
Today, the tea shop is a huge success, and Sahana has found a family who truly loves her and helps her toward her goals every day. Her three younger cousins are also attending Back2Back India’s trauma-informed school on campus, and Sahana is in 12th class, preparing to apply for universities. Together, Sahana’s family and Back2Back are finding ways toward healing and reconnection, and a young woman who was once withdrawn, deeply saddened, and without hope is now thriving. Sahana knows she is loved and cannot wait to give back to her family and the world around her. This is a hope that will not stand still.
