Adopted Chandigarh girl brings home Asian Human Rights Award, also wins scholarship

Her parents – Pramod Sharma, a civil society worker with Yuvsatta, and Pooja Sharma, a school teacher – vividly recall seeing two young sisters, Saba, 5, and Sana, 4, at the Mother Teresa Mission Of Charity for the first time in 2009

Thirteen years after she was adopted from Mother Teresa Mission Of Charity in Sector 23-A, 18-year-old Saba has made her city and parents proud by bringing home the Asian Girls Human Rights Award for her remarkable efforts to empower 55 girls living in the slum area in Bapu Dham Colony.

The prestigious international award is given to girls living in India, Mongolia, Nepal and Pakistan, who have shown an aptitude to be change-makers in the fields of human rights, social innovation, and community development. (HT Photo)

The prestigious international award is given to girls living in India, Mongolia, Nepal and Pakistan, who have shown an aptitude to be change-makers in the fields of human rights, social innovation, and community development. Her next achievement was getting admission to Albukhary International University (AIU), Malaysia, on a full scholarship, much to her parents’ pride and relief.

Her parents – Pramod Sharma, a civil society worker with Yuvsatta, and Pooja Sharma, a school teacher – vividly recall seeing two young sisters, Saba, 5, and Sana, 4, at the Mother Teresa Mission Of Charity for the first time in 2009. “The girls had been waiting to be adopted for a long time. The nuns at Mother Teresa did not want to separate the sisters, and no one wanted to adopt the two girls together. However, the sight of them stirred our souls and we decided to adopted them,” says Pramod.

Sana, also a student at Carmel Convent, hopes to follow in her elder sister’s footsteps. After all, the award won by Saba is for the ‘girls’ parliament’ started by the siblings at the Kitabghar in Bapudham Colony, Sector 26. (HT Photo)

However, the journey was far from easy. “The girls had never been to school and were forlorn at the institution, which is why the nuns allowed us to foster the girls so that they may get a home and education. We bonded in no time, and soon adopted them formally,” says Pramod.

“Pooja quit her job as a teacher and devoted her time to teach them so that they may catch up with their peers,” says Pramod proudly adding that Saba, who passed from Carmel Convent, scored 92% in humanities.

Sana, also a student at Carmel Convent, hopes to follow in her elder sister’s footsteps. After all, the award won by Saba is for the ‘girls’ parliament’ started by the siblings at the Kitabghar in Bapudham Colony, Sector 26.