When my daughter was diagnosed with leukaemia, I had ₹4,000 in my account and a hospital bill of ₹3 lakh staring at me. Arunoday didn't just give us money — they gave us direction. They sat with us, explained every step, and made sure my daughter never missed a single cycle of chemotherapy. She is in school today. She wants to be a doctor.

During the months my husband was unemployed, we skipped meals so our children wouldn't have to. Arunoday's nutrition program reached our locality at exactly the right time. Hot, wholesome food every day — it sounds simple, but for us it was dignity restored. My children went back to school with energy and hope.

I was 7 when I got sick. I don't remember much from the hospital — but I remember the Arunoday didi who used to come and read stories to me. She made me feel normal when nothing was normal. I am 14 now, and I came back to volunteer. I want to be that didi for another child.

I joined Arunoday as a volunteer thinking I would give a few hours on weekends. What I didn't expect was how much I would receive in return. Sitting with a family in the hospital, helping them fill forms, holding someone's hand — these small acts changed who I am. Volunteering here is not charity. It is a conversation between two human beings.

When my son was in the ICU, I had lost all hope. The Arunoday team organised a small havan in the hospital chapel for our family. It wasn't just a ritual — it was a moment of stillness in the middle of a storm. The collective prayer, the warmth of strangers who cared — it gave me the strength to walk back into that ward and keep fighting for him.

After the floods, we had nothing — no home, no savings, and a sick elderly mother with no medicines. Arunoday reached our relief camp within two days. They brought medicines, dry rations, and someone who just sat and listened. In a crisis, it is easy to feel invisible. They made us feel seen.

Our neighbourhood had no access to any welfare scheme — not because we didn't qualify, but because no one had told us they existed. Arunoday ran a community camp in our area, helped 40 families register for government health schemes, and connected three elderly residents to pension support. They didn't do the work for us — they taught us how to do it ourselves.

As a paediatrician, I've seen families collapse under the weight of a diagnosis. Since partnering with Arunoday, I know there is a safety net I can point families to. I have seen children who would not have survived without this organisation. The work they do is quietly extraordinary.