Posted: 21/11/2010
The words of Asha founder and director Dr. Kiran Martin on Monday night summed up exactly what the audience of 450 were gathered to celebrate.
‘Children who would have once been working in roadside stalls, shining shoes, or picking rags, now have the confidence to attend university with much more privileged youngsters.’
Above: Mr P Chidambaram, Hon'ble Home Minister of India, gives the Chief Guest Address.
The Celebration of Learning 2010 had been organised to commemorate just that, the admission of 170 slum children to Delhi University and other institutes of higher education. And what a celebration it was. Asha was delighted to welcome honoured guests, all of whom have been incredible supporters of Asha’s Higher Education Programme. Mr K R Kamath, CMD, Punjab National Bank, HE Mr Peter Varghese, Australian High Commissioner, HE Mr Bob Hiensch, Ambassador of the Netherlands, HE Mr Kenneth Thompson, Ambassador of Ireland, HE Mr Rupert Holborow, New Zealand High Commissioner and Mr Sandip Ghose, Regional Director Reserve Bank of India, contributed words of wisdom and encouragement to our students after they heard the story of one such child who courageously explained his journey before the extraordinary gathering.
‘The day I got admitted to Delhi College of Engineering, I could not believe that my dream had actually come true. I am the first student from my family and my entire village to have embarked on the journey towards higher education,’ Mahesh Koda told the audience at India Habitat Centre. Mahesh described the many difficulties he had faced in his life, from trying to study amidst power cuts and noise disturbance in the one room hut his family of four shares, to being worried about getting enough to eat on his widowed mother’s daily wage of less than 50p ($1) per day.
Mahesh’s story was a representation of the hardships and the incredible achievements these children have experienced. The Honourable Home Minister of India and the function’s Chief Guest, Shri P. Chidambaram acknowledged the struggles that they have been through. In a moving speech, he said that while he takes his own 10 year old granddaughter’s educational opportunities for granted, none of the children from Asha slums can take anything for granted, not even their next meal. Mr. Chidambaram paid tribute to Asha’s work and expressed his desire to see every child in India complete school and have the option of higher education. Asha is grateful for his pioneering leadership, under which India’s leading national banks joined with Asha in our financial inclusion scheme that has enabled educational loans for children and business loans for hundreds of slum dwellers across Delhi.
Each of the remarkable children ascended the stage to rapturous applause to receive their loans and Asha educational scholarships. As each name and college course was read out, the students’ beaming faces touched the hearts of those present. Their pride was equalled by the happiness felt by all the parents, Asha staff and supporters who witnessed such a landmark moment in their lives.
Above: Mr P Chidambaram, Hon'ble Home Minister of India, giving out Asha scholarship certificates
We were so happy to have present representatives of Friends of Asha UK who had flown in especially for the occasion, other Asha supporters in Delhi, representatives from the Nossal Institute of Melbourne University and diplomats from the embassies of Great Britain, Ireland, Japan and Australia. After the event everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner together on the Habitat Centre Lawns.
We would like to say a huge thank you to the dozens of overseas supporters who sent messages of support to the students, all of which we will ensure they receive. It is an incredible encouragement to them to know that they have the Asha family all over the world thinking of them.
Above: Dr Kiran Martin, Founder and Director of Asha, addresses the gathering
One of the lasting impressions made on Monday evening was the vision that Dr. Kiran Martin shared of seeing 5000 slum children in higher education by 2015, and with this year’s Celebration of Learning now over, we can only begin to anticipate how many more children we will see proudly standing on that stage in years to come.
When Asha first came to my slum I didn't think that they could help - other organisations had been and gone. They stayed, and so I got involved and was trained as a community health volunteer. Now I have more confidence, I help to make changes in my community and I take pride in being able to help others.
Bimla, women's group president, Zakhira
