A six-year-old girl who is an inmate at Aashiana, a government-run shelter home for abandoned children, is busy taking French classes this summer as she is all set to be adopted by a psychologist based in France. She is being taught the language by a member of the adoption committee who is a doctor at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).
Talking to the Chandigarh Newsline, Bisman Ahuja, programme manager, Child Protection Society, Chandigarh, said: “The doctor volunteered to teach her so that the girl becomes familiar with the language and does not face communication problems.”
Ahuja said the 40-year-old mother-to-be of the child, a psychologist, had chosen her from the government website started by the Ministry of Woman and Child Development under the name of http://www.cara.com. A representative from the French adoption agency, which was liaising with Aashiana, came to meet the girl and introduced the child to the French woman over the Internet and by showing her photographs.
“The French representative had brought gifts for the girl and also pictures of her mother. As soon as the child saw the pictures of her mother-to-be she addressed her as ‘maa’ and was thrilled,” said Ahuja. Confirming the adoption, director social welfare Nishu Singhal said: “Yes, a girl from Ashiana has been adopted.”
While the the French teacher of the six-year-old was presently on a holiday, she has left a CD and some assignments with the girl to complete. “We were very happy that the child has found a home for herself and are hoping that everything goes smoothly,” said Varsha Arora, Ashiana manager.
The girl was found abandoned by the UT police in August 2014 near the market area in Sector 43. The police had handed over the custody of the child to Aashiana, a shelter home in Sector 15. Presently, the girl spends much time conversing with her mother-to-be through video calls and reading the books she has received as gifts from France.
“We are yet to complete the formalities of the case and it might take two months or more to finish the legal procedures,” said Ahuja.
Subsequently, the adopting agency in France cross-checked the credentials of the woman to ascertain if she will be able to provide a stable family environment. Thereafter, the representative from France came to meet the child.
