From the Village of Junwas in Tissa, India

My name is Basanti Thakur. I live in a small rural area called Tissa in the village Janwas in Himachal Pradesh, India. I have attended school up standard class five and now I have just completed class 10 privately. I am 19 years old and have a mother, father, sister and and two brothers. I am the third child in the family. My family are farmers and have cows and sheep. They also farm wheat and maize (corn). We are dependent on the rain for our crops. Eighty percent of the families in my area live in one room Kachha houses. During the Winter we bring the animal inside with us.

Some day I would like to be a nurse and help the people in my community. That means I will have to complete more schooling and get in to a university nursing school. Right now I have to work as a maid to pay for my education. There are no schools where I live so I have to travel far from home and take private classes to get a my education. I have at least another two years of schooling to get through my 12th class. I really like working with the YMAD team. Even tho my english is very poor the YMAD youth and translators have made me feel very welcome.

When the time comes for me to finally leave home I will need to know english to better communicate with the people I meet. Not everyone speaks Hindi. The dialect I speak is called Churrahi and the dialects change roughly every four kilometers around my home. We do not have any medical facilities near my home village so it is very important to know how to take care of the newborn infants properly. I am confident that If I had to I could deliver a new baby and not be afraid. I also am interested in teaching what I have learned to the women of my village.
Before meeting YMAD I had never imagined that some one from so far away could be interested in helping my community. I am so grateful I have been able to have this great learning experience. I hope YMAD comes again soon!