Rising from a disaster

Borim Rongpi was born to Rensig Rongpi and Kaseng Timong in the village of Rongmandu, Kharbi Anglong district, Assam. He was a healthy child till he was seven years old. In an accident, he lost both his arms to a sugarcane crushing machine. He was moved to Guwahati for treatment where he spent over two months in hospital. Borim spent the next two years at home, not knowing whether he could ever be the same boy again. It wasn’t until 2005 that Borim received any positive assistance, even though his parents constantly reached out for help. In June 2005, Borim was taken to Ferrando Speech and Hearing Centre. The school had other children with disabilities which helped Borim come to terms with his own disability. The organisation helped Borim through counselling and physiotherapy sessions. Slowly, Borim was able to take care of his own needs and attended regular classes. He learnt computers and led the choir at the school. Dancing and football were his favourite things to do. He even taught himself to write and paint with his lower limbs. He won drawing competitions in the school and at inter school competitions. He learned to sign with his limbs to communicate with children with hearing impairment in the hostel. Borim is an intelligent and hardworking member of the community today. He is currently pursuing graduation. The young and confident Borim is looking forward to building a better future for himself and his family. He wants to complete MBA, start his own business and be an example to many young children like him.