Meera, a mom of four, found herself in a situation no parent wants to face: her husband passed away, leaving her to face intense challenges that accompanied the passing of the patriarch and provider. For the struggling mother, this could mean being separated from her beloved children.

The home was in disrepair, with no beds and no functional restroom. One of the two school-aged children stopped going to school entirely due to the family’s challenges. The living conditions were unsustainable and dire, and with no steady stream of income, the possibility of the family’s separation weighed on Meera’s heart.

“I thought I was going to have to send my children to an orphanage,” Meera said, desperate to ensure that her children were cared for but unable to do so herself without support.

It is so often desperation that splinters families in this way, but the antidote to desperation is hope. When a situation seems destitute and inescapable, illuminating even a portion of the path forward can feel like a lifeline.

This lifeline came in the form of a sewing machine.

Miracle Foundation was alerted of the family in need and took immediate action. A Thrive Scale™ assessment was conducted to identify the most critical areas of need to formulate a plan to provide long-term relief. Miracle Foundation then stepped in to prevent the family from being torn apart by providing the sewing machine to Meera to generate income and financially support herself and her children.

Equipped with this new tool, Meera began sewing blouses for Saris, a traditional South Asian garment. She opened a business out of her home, selling pre-made blouses and taking custom orders from community members.

In addition to her successful home business, she was able to open a convenience store called a ‘Petty Store’ with the help of Miracle Foundation and Deepak Foundation. What started with a sewing machine had now become two sources of income for a family that had so recently had none.

Over the next year and a half, with hard work and support from Miracle Foundation Meera was able to transform her life and create financial stability for herself and her children. The blouse business and Petty Store provided the means for her to build a brick home with a functional toilet.

As the family’s financial situation changed for the better, all of Meera’s children were able to return to their education. The family’s social worker worked with her son to identify why he was not attending school, ultimately motivating him to return. In less than two years, the family’s situation had become virtually unrecognizable, a far cry from the hopelessness that nearly led Meera to have her children institutionalized.

Applying Miracle’s Thrive Scale Methodology helped this family address their most immediate needs and become self-sustaining. Because of this, Meera’s children were never separated from her, and the family was able to stay together. With targeted, preventative measures focused intently on protecting the family unit, they were able to avoid institutionalized care and all of the work that goes into reunification.

After all, keeping something from being torn in the first place is always better than sewing it back together.