Hyderabad: Helping the hapless stand on their own

Hyderabad: Meet Mandadi Shravya Reddy Deshmukh, 30, who provides a healing touch to the aggrieved lives of divorced woman. She started an NGO 'We and She' in 2017 to provide succour to them. The NGO provides counselling to the unfortunate women who become distressed following breakup of marriages. Shravya, who is currently pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Law from Mahatma Gandhi Law College, says, "During the time when I was writing my Civils exam, two of my batchmates committed suicide as they couldn't clear the exam.

This shook me up and later I started working with many NGOs." Shravya sold her gold bangles to start the NGO, thus persisting with her vision despite financial issues. She says she has all along been haunted by one question, "What happens to the village women in broken marriages?" To find the answer, she embarked on a life-changing journey through the obscure villages of Telangana and discovered that the rural women were plagued endlessly by other issues as well.

Soon, she emerged a dependable face for young girls and women across villages as she closely interacted with most of the women who were victims of a broken marriage and stood by them. The women often shared their pain and pleaded with her for more help. She noticed that unlike urban women, it is hugely challenging for rural women to get a foothold in the society after a broken marriage. "I met this young girl who discovered that her husband was impotent within a few days of her marriage. Yet she was forced by her family to stay in that marriage and make peace with her destiny.

This was when I wondered if there can be rehabilitation centres for widows, and why don't I start one for these hapless women?"

Motivated by her efforts, several women in dysfunctional marriages are willing to relocate to Hyderabad to start a new life. "These women are given training in their areas of interest so that they do not have to be dependent on anyone and can earn for their own living." She toured the 31 districts of the state in 31 days to meet with the women from rural areas and inspire them to start their lives afresh.