Nandani is from north India and is 18. Her father was employed with the Indian railways and her mother was a house wife. Nandani has four brothers (two older than her and two younger).
Nandani studied up to the 5th grade, and enjoys cooking, painting, and being with people.
When she was 5 years old, her mother committed suicide. According to Nandani, her father was a very cruel man and used to abuse her verbally and physically. He often locked her in a small room and deprived her of food. She was also raped by her father and her second eldest brother when she was about 10 years old. At that time she was very innocent and couldn’t understand what was happening to her. Nandani waited for a chance to run away from home and managed to do so when she was 15 years old. She was found by police at a local train station and was taken to a government protective home. Then she was referred to an NGO for rehabilitation in 2017.
Although she appeared bubbly and talkative, Nandani’s self-esteem was very low. She did not believe she had the ability to do anything in life and refused to even learn basic literacy. She struggled with insomnia and was suffering from behavioral disorders as well. The scars of torture on her face and body always reminded her of the past. Her fear of family, hatred towards her father, and bitterness of the past interfered with her relationships with others in the rehabilitation home, as well as with day to day challenges in her life.
It took a couple of months before she was willing to receive any counseling. As she began to receive counseling, she slowly began to open up and eventually took up learning, reading, and writing in Hindi and has progressed quite well. She enjoys attending creativity sessions. Gradually, she took up a Hair Dressing and Beautician course which she has completed. Nandani is now assisting the trainer to teach new women in the course.
Nandani has shown so much progress. She is much more confident, willing to take up small learning challenges, and is very grateful for where she is now. In the spring of 2019, Nandani moved into a group home (supported independent living facility) where she is learning to budget and is looking for another job. Currently, she is working through a foundations course, which focusses on Biblical perspectives and who God is.
