Twin Sparks of Hope

In the heart of Buran village, in the valleys of Kashmir, are Laiba and Atiqa (Name Changed), the twin sisters of nine years old, whose tender lives have gone through storms strong enough to make even the robust adults wane. But still, their tale shines bright the light on how interventions based on a community can develop a safety net for children going through crisis.

Until 2021, the twins enjoyed a stable middle-class life. Their father, Mr. Tariq (name changed), worked at a local private school, providing his daughters with quality education at the same institution. But fate had other plans. When a life-threatening illness struck, it not only claimed Tariq’s life but also drained the family’s financial resources in a desperate battle for his survival.

The tragedy spurred a chain of transformations. Her mother, Ms. Bilquees, instantly thrown into becoming a sole provider with no steady source of income, eventually got remarried and moved away-without taking either daughter along with her. Her daughters were shifted to live with their aged grandparents; their own world shrinks as they have to shift to government schooling instead of private one.

It could have become just another case of children slipping through the cracks. But instead, it emerged as a testifying testament to the power of organized community intervention. The village, under the watchful eye of HWVO’s UNICEF-supported project “Building Community Based Care Mechanism for Children in Need of Care and Protection in Kashmir,” came into action through its Child Protection Group (CPG).

“Institutionalization isn’t always the answer,” explains a CPG member who first brought the case to light during a monthly meeting. “We needed to find a solution that would keep the children connected to their family and community while ensuring their well-being.”

The CPG’s approach was methodical yet deeply human. Instead of rushing to conventional solutions, they engaged in dialogue with the extended family, exploring various alternative care options. This careful navigation led to an innovative split arrangement: Atiqa was placed in kinship care with their maternal aunt, while Laiba remained with her grandparents under the aunt’s watchful eye.

“We wanted to make sure that both children received the care they needed while maintaining their family bonds,” says a CPG representative. “The arrangement allows the sisters to stay connected while distributing the caregiving responsibility.”

The community’s involvement didn’t stop at arranging care. The CPG tackled the complex task of documentation, navigating a property dispute with the children’s mother that could have jeopardized their future security. Through careful mediation, they ensured the father’s property was equitably divided between Ms. Bilquees and her daughters.

The persistent efforts paid off as Laiba ‘s case was approved under Mission Vatsalya and she got 36,000 rupees for support. Presently, both girls are in the Case Management Approach wherein there is a periodic monitoring of the physical, emotional, and educational well-being of both girls.

The twins’ story is more than just a successful intervention; it presents a blueprint for community-based child protection. Through the use of local structures, engagement of family networks, and access to government support systems, the project demonstrates how villages can create robust safety nets for vulnerable children.

“What these girls needed was not just a roof over their heads,” reflects one member of the CPG. “They needed a holistic support system that would be able to care for their growth while not compromising their family ties. That’s what community-based care is all about.”

Laiba and Atiqa, advancing through Standard 4, thus symbolize, on their side, a strong beacon of hope that with an appropriate community-related intervention, perhaps the most testing circumstances can best be turned inside out into auspicious futures as well.