Sheeja was in school when she got the news: Her father had suffered a stroke.
At first, Sheeja thought there had been a mistake. Someone had confused her father with another man. Her father was healthy. He had only just turned forty. He worked all-day shifts for as long as Seeja could remember.
Sheeja and her younger sister, Pooja, raced home to meet their mother. At the hospital, they learned the blood clot had traveled to the brain. Their dad was still alive but unconscious. The doctor outlined a few treatment possibilities, and the family agreed to proceed without question.
Sheeja and her family spent several days at the hospital, praying, hoping for the best. They spent every dollar they had on medical treatment, but soon, it became clear it wouldn’t be enough. When Sheeja said goodbye to her father for the last time, she also said goodbye to the life she once knew.
Without her father’s income, Sheeja’s family slipped into poverty. Sheeja’s mother worked as a housemaid, but her earnings were insufficient. The family left their home and moved to the slums, where rent was affordable. They subsisted on one meal a day. The girls dropped out of school.
In early 2020, Sheeja joined Zoe Empowers India and the Altitude empowerment group, based in Saidapet, a northern suburb of Chennai City. Sheeja was excited about the possibilities Zoe Empowers promised.
After completing a business plan, Sheeja was provided a small grant from Zoe Empowers to start her dream business: a supermarket. She used the grant money to rent a small kiosk and purchase basic inventory, like masala packets, soap, oil, biscuits, and chocolates.
Things were going well, then the pandemic hit. Sheeja was terrified the mandatory shutdowns would wipe out her business, ruining the little momentum she had built. She was relieved when Zoe offered her another small grant to carry her through.
Despite pandemic-related closures, Sheeja and her business have persevered. In the last year, she has earned enough money to enroll her family in government health insurance. Pooja is back in school, and Sheeja hopes to join her soon. The family is eating more regularly and incorporating many foods they once deemed a luxury, like rice, vegetables and dhal (lentils).
At home, the family has also acquired basic comforts, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, floor mats, blankets and mosquito nets. Zoe Empowers also provided grief counseling, which has been invaluable to the entire family.
“Along with our property and things, we had lost all our hope in our life,” Sheeja said in a recent reflection on her experience. “Zoe came into our life and gave us good hope. They also gave us some grants which helped us a lot to build our life. Right from my heart, I thank Zoe for all its timely help.”
Sometimes, Sheeja wonders what would’ve happened to her family if she hadn’t found Zoe before the pandemic. Sheeja knows the timing was a gift from God. A gift she feels compelled to pass on. Serving her community through her shop is the first step, but in the future, she aims to open a bigger supermarket, where she could employ others who are vulnerable and struggling to find work.
She often thinks of her dad, and what he would make of the life she has reconstructed for the family he left behind. She misses him dearly, but knows he would be proud of her. His presence from above motivates her to continue working toward her dream.
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