Name: ASHNA SHAJI
Age: 22 yrs
Village: Anad, Nedumangad, Trivandrum.
I come into the fold of Namaste in 2006 when I was studying in 8th grade. It was a big turning point in my life, to a better path. Until then, my family had been struggling a lot with my single mom looking after me and my brother. We wished for some kind of assistance for my education as it would help me a lot to complete my education without any financial strains. We came to know about Namaste from my teacher and I had applied for a sponsorship. It was a joyous moment when Valeria of Namaste came to my home and announced the news that I have got a sponsor in Italy.
I am fortunate enough to have a sponsor whom I can call as my family. It’s a mom and her beautiful daughter who have been helping, supporting and loving me since then. They had assisted me and my family in many ways as possible apart from educational support and continue to do so. I have got financial assistance during the construction of our home and even for buying household articles. The motivation and encouragement from them was great during all these days. The organization of Namaste and its people become an important addition to my life. It was not merely a means of aid, but a deep relationship with the people and the institution itself. I am glad that I could achieve much with the backing of Namaste and the incredible people who are part of it.
In 2009 I could pass SSLC with highest scores and then I got admission into Higher Secondary school to study social sciences in the Humanities stream. It was my passion to learn that subject. After completing my school education I joined the Kerala University in 2012 as a Political Science undergraduate student. I was very much interested in this stream and it was a great experience to do my bachelor. Upon the completion of my university studies in 2015, I went for coaching classes of Civil Service Examination to get insights into the exam and its preparations. I finished the coaching in last January. Meantime, after graduation, I have also been volunteering with an environmental NGO called Thanal, assisting with volunteering tasks. It was a brilliant opportunity for me as I have always been keen to issues of environment and sustainability. In February this year, the organization invited me to work with them. My work at Thanal is demanding and I’ve been gaining much from it by acquiring new skills and knowledge.
I’m really looking forward to my current job as I desired to work in the field of environmental conservation and sustainability. I do hope to gain much experience from this and to attempt civil service exam in future. And I am more than thankful to my mom and sister back in Italy, Valeria, every staff at Namaste and a couple of persons who become very special to me during my wonderful time with Namaste. It holds a significant place in my life.
