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“Transformation” - The Story of Tamil Elakkiya

This is a story of transformation that took place in a young girl in one of the villages, who is the heroine of our story.

Tamil Elakkiya (name changed) was a very introvert person who kept to herself and hardly spoke with anyone. It was not because she was unable to express, actually, she possessed good communication skills. But the hesitancy was due to her inferiority complex that was born out the fact that she was not well educated. Even during the classes, she would stand up as soon as a question was asked by us, but slowly she used to sit down without answering, looking around at others. We encouraged her to get up again and answer without fear.

Following the training programme, we saw Elakkiya slowly coming out of her shell. We then knew we had an excellent Peer Educator, but she proved that she was beyond that. She proved out to be a young girl of rare caliber.

She started to teach the girls near by her house about HIV/AIDS, how it spreads, how it could be avoided, and personal hygiene and so on. Not only her own village, she started to visit nearby villages, armed with the IEC materials from UNICEF and Tamil Nadu State Aids Control Society.

This did not satisfy the fire of desire within her to spread the messages of HIV/AIDS. So she went and met the Head Master of the nearby school and obtained permission to conduct a series of HIV/AIDS awareness classes to the sixth standard students. Everyone around her were stunned. What entered into this quiet, introvert girl, who hardly spoke to anyone, to meet the HM of a school all by herself? All wondered.

She then did a bright thing. She stuck some UNICEF posters on the backside wall of her house and below it she scribbled, “For further details, contact Tamil Elakkiya…. Some of the girls saw it and came to her with lot of doubts and she patiently cleared them all.

Soon after problems cropped up for Elakkiya. Her parents did not like her extrovert daughter, explaining things about HIV/AIDS, human body and hygiene. They opposed it vehemently, asked her to stop the nonsense. She quietly replied that the village girls wanted to know more about growing up, menstrual hygiene, risk of HIV, reproduction and growing their emotions about their own sexuality very badly, she explained about the lurking danger of HIV/AIDS. She finally said, “it is our village, our people”. The truth behind her words slowly sunk into her parents, they hesitatingly allowed here to continue her work. She now joined the Trainers and wherever they went she accompanied them and coordinated all the training activities in earnest.

Looking at her transformation we are encouraged. The training we gave her, the encouragement and guidance we had shown her had brought to the surface her talent and transformed her into an extrovert, who is bent on doing good to other people, helping others to protect themselves from harm. Elakkiya is born in a remote village so her work and her sacrifices will make a big difference. We hope that Elakkiya is set to do more for her peers and appreciate how far she came from being an introvert and timid girl.