My name is Kaviya. I am 21 years old.
I was born on December 9, 2003. I grew up in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. When I was a baby, my parents divorced and I went to my mom’s native place in Kerala to live there. My mother did not work and spent all day reading. When I was 19, I got married to my husband and he gave me a good life. Together, we had a baby.
My husband and I bought our own saree shop, but, due to heavy rain, that business was not running well. We managed it for a year and then we had to close our shop.
One year later, my husband and his friends fell into alcohol and drugs. At this moment, I lost my husband and my friends. I did not say anything for a while, I was understanding but at one point, I wanted him to stop. No matter how much I cried, he did not know how to stop, how to be fully himself with his family. One day, when he was buying drugs, he got arrested by the police and put in jail. It has been one year.
I stayed with my mother in law for a while, but this place was not good for me and my baby. I had a very hard time, having a small child by myself. I could not have any food there, I did not have any money. My mother in law was not supportive and we were fighting everyday. I was so sad. So I went to my sister’s house in Chennai. She welcomed me and said to me: “It’s okay, I’ll take care of you.” The days were very difficult, I was crying every night. But everyday, I was waking up, determined to improve my life.
One day, someone told me about LP4Y and I was confident that thanks to the program, I would find a good job.
Why did I join LP4Y?
I wanted to find a decent and a good job. My biggest challenge was English. When I came, I could not speak English very well but, after 1 month at LP4Y, I can already speak English better. I achieved a lot of things: I learned how to have a professional behaviour and attire, the importance of smiling, making eye-contact and confidence, and how to speak loud, especially in English. I also learned how to keep my motivation and that my resilience will pay off.