Diksha Dinde, who suffers from celebral palsy quadriparesis since birth, has not let her disability come in the way of her desire to serve the society, particularly working towards educating underprivileged children, in which she has been involved for the last four years.
Twenty-three years old and 84% physically challenged, these are mere numbers for this Pune resident, who is literally going places.
Diksha Dinde, who suffers from celebral palsy quadriparesis since birth, has not let her disability come in the way of her desire to serve the society, particularly working towards educating underprivileged children, in which she has been involved for the last four years.
The only Indian to be selected for United Nations' 'A World At School' programme, she decided to work for the cause through her initiative of learning with activity. The young woman, who couldn't move on her own and had a major problem with her spinal cord, said she wanted to create a world where children were not afraid of going to school.
In November 2016, Dinde will be visiting Washington DC to attend a conference as part of the UN programme, running in 85 countries, and share her idea with ambassadors from other countries. Every year, the UN selects 500 ambassadors on the basis of their work in the field of education.
It has not been easy for the family after her father's accident in 2005, post which he stopped driving his autorickshaw and ran a small shop. Her mother, a tailor, has been toiling away too for their two girls, with the younger one currently studying and Dinde wanting to complete her masters in history. The latter's education expenses, however, were borne by an NGO in Thane.
Apart from teaching, Dinde has also launched a 'notebook collection drive' across the state and distributed books to needy children.
Expressing concern over the current education system, she said there is an urgent need to draw child labourers as well as those who can't afford to study to education.
"For the last four years, I have been educating needy children who generally don't attend school for various reasons — some work somewhere, some are scared to go to school. Through my initiative, they now like to study and want to pursue their education. They enjoy learning through fun activities and listening to stories in a different way. They should not feel like they are coming to study, yet study all subjects, including maths," she said.
"There are so many children not only in India, but also across the globe who do not get elementary education. The government needs to make drastic changes in the current education system. The teaching methodology in civic schools must change. I plan to write to authorities about the same."
Dinde is also working with NGO Roshni, which works at improving the health of women and advocates the rights of the disabled.
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