My name is Thakurlal Koli and I am from Baran, Rajasthan. I live in a large, joint family of 13 members which includes my parents, 2 children, wife, my three younger brothers and their families as well. My father is a farmer and while my mother has been a homemaker, she lends my father a helping hand on the farm too. I completed my schooling in Shahabad (a block in the district of Baran) and graduated from the University of Kota. I got married when I was in my 2nd year of Bachelor of Arts, in 2013.

My first place of work was CECOEDECON where I worked on child rights for a year and then moved on to an NGO called Rachna to work on child growth monitoring. I joined Action Against Hunger in 2016 as a community mobilizer and have been here ever since. The common factor in all my places of work has always been children, a cause that is close to my heart. During my days at CECOEDECON, I worked on education and care for orphans. I have great memories from that time. I felt proud that I am helping vulnerable children and in doing so growing as a person as well.

At Action Against Hunger I work with the Sahariya tribe on making sure that malnourished children receive necessary treatment and the parents receive the knowledge and support they need to keep their children healthy. Apart from good nutrition, I work with families on hygiene, sanitation and child care too. It makes me happy to see children recovering and leading a healthy life. Families too on witnessing this, warm-up to us and everyone in the village identifies me with my work. It makes me feel proud.

Image: Lys Arango.