THEEPIKA: YOUNG GIRL COMPETES, FAMILY FLOURISHES

Theepika, 21 years-old, recently graduated from nursing school. She is still riding the bike she received in 6th grade from World Bicycle Relief. Remembering how she felt the day she received her bike, “I thought, I got a very big thing! I used it for school and evening classes up to 11th grade. My father took the bicycle to the seashore for fishing. My relatives used it, too.”

Her family owns a small shop located in front of the house for day-to-day purchases like soaps, snacks and over-the-counter medications. They use the bike to do their banking and purchase goods to sell in their shop.

Theepika described her life after the tsunami and before she received her bike. “I was not able to attend my evening classes. Teachers would punish me. So, I told them excuses for missing class.” After she received her bike and resumed evening classes, Theepika believes she was able to study more to pass her O-Level and A-Level exams (the US equivalent of a high school diploma). She has gone on to further her studies and is a recent graduate of a nursing school program alongside her girlfriend Dilshani.

Like her girlfriends (Dilshani, Krishanthini, Anushiya), Theepika is also a sports enthusiast. With the bike she could go to kabaddi and volleyball practice. Before she received the bike, she couldn’t pay the 3-wheeler (local taxi) fare to go to meets that were beyond walking distance from home. With her bike, the distance was no longer a barrier and she returned to her two passions–learning and sports.