When Lata arrived at the AIDS Home she was very weak but thanks to the medication and loving care she received her health improved rapidly. She soon joined the vocational training courses HOPE offers to women but Lata had her sights set on something less traditional…She wanted to become a driver! This is highly unusual in India but Lata is an unusual lady.
Lata is on the extreme right
The HOPE staff were skeptical at first but they sent Lata for training. To their surprise Lata learned to drive in a matter of weeks. She then became the official driver for the AIDS Home, ferrying the children to their medical appointments. As Lata became stronger she also took on the job of caretaker for the Home. With her earnings she rented a house in the nearby village and enrolled her children in an English medium school.
In the midst of all this Lata also studied the Bible and became a disciple. Lata and her children are thriving. The joy on their faces is contagious. Lata is the unofficial leader of the AIDS inmates. She gives them the courage to overcome their challenges and the social stigma still very much alive in a country like India.
Lata's daughter Deepa
