**An update to the story below - Mahesh is now studying Engineering at Delhi Technological University - an incredible achievement! **
Above: Mahesh, right, proudly displays his entrance papers for DTU with Dr Kiran Martin and Mahinder, another successful engineering student
At the age of 11, Mahesh spent most of his time walking around aimlessly, playing in dirty drains and rubbish dumps, and making trouble. He has little recollection of his life before that other than his family moving back and forth from his village to Delhi in search of employment. His mother toiled all day as a labourer to support her three children. Even after long hours of work, the family often slept without having eaten since morning.
One day, his curiosity got the better of him and he entered the Asha children's resource centre in his slum. Mahesh, who lost his father at a very young age and whose mother had no time for him because she was busy at work, was made very welcome. He loved the attention and tried to prove that he was worthy of much more. Mahesh left the company of his trouble-making friends and made friends with members of the children's group. With the help of the Asha staff, he was admitted to a government school and turned out to be very bright - he was always in the top 3 students of the class! He started reading the books in the Asha library and learning computers in the Asha resource centre.
In class 7 (when he was 12), Mahesh realised that he would have to find a way to pay for his own schooling because education in government schools is only free until Class 6. Asha came to his rescue again. Mahesh was awarded a scholarship from Asha that covered his school fee, uniform, textbooks and stationery.
A few years later, Mahesh proved what a talented student and worthy recipient of the scholarship he was when he secured 82.8% in his class 10 exams! More unbelievable than the marks he got was the fact that he managed to do so well despite the numerous difficulties he faced. There was no electricity in his house, so he studied all night after a long day's work with the help of a candle; he had no table to study on and no bed to sleep on (in fact, his house is so small that at night when all 4 members of his family are present he cannot even sleep with his legs outstretched). He could not afford any tutors (teachers hardly came to class in his school, and even when they came, they rarely taught anything). His family couldn't help as they are illiterate. In addition to all this, he cooked for everyone and kept the house clean when he was not studying!
At Asha we knew how much Mahesh deserved a chance to realise his dream of becoming an engineer. First we needed to get him admitted to a much better school. We visited the principle of an excellent local private school to get him admitted, paid his school fees and helped him with other expenses. We also helped him to enter FITJEE, a special coaching institute.
During his last couple of years at school, Mahesh rose at 5am, studied for an hour, cooked breakfast, attended school, then studied for a couple of hours. After that he did youth group work (he is part of Asha's youth group at Dr Ambedkar Basti), cleaned his house and cooked. He then taught local students for a few hours to help his family and earn some pocket money. After his FITJEE coaching, he studied for the engineering entrance exam and went to bed at about 11.30pm! He is a truly remarkable boy and all of us at Asha feel a great sense of pride as we watch him strive to achieve his ambition.
Shabnam is 18 years old and lives in the southern Delhi slum of Govindpuri, Kalkaji. One of nine children, her entire family lives in a house less than 50 square feet in area, without electricity or running water. Studying was especially difficult in these conditions and Shabnam’s desire to learn was further hampered by the unmotivated and unqualified teachers at her government school, and her family responsibilities as an eldest daughter.
Through hard work and perseverance however, Shabnam finished high school with excellent results. Shabnam’s dream was to continue her education, in order to build a better future for herself and her family. However, she knew that fulfilling this dream was simply not an option. No one from her community, especially a woman, had ever even thought of going to university, and thus she had no guidance on how to get there. More importantly, her family was in no position to financially support her dream of a university education.
Fortunately, Asha found Shabnam in time. We were able to give her both group and one-on-one counseling to help her decide on the course that would best suit her, and helped her with her university applications. She was admitted to every school she applied to, and we are proud to see her attending Kamala Nehru College, one of the top colleges in the University of Delhi, where she is now studying for an honors degree in Political Science. When asked if she was daunted to be in such a different environment, Shabnam said “not at all - just happy and excited!” Asha is committed to paying for her school fees, books, and other necessary supplies, and to providing her with additional training in computers and English. Most importantly, we have made sure she knows that we will be there to consistently support her through such a momentous transition period in her life.
Shabnam is enjoying her time in university enormously, and is due to complete her course in 2011 - we look forward to attending her graduation ceremony.
Above: Shabnam (centre front) and Arun (far right) with other successful students
Arun moved to Delhi with his family in 1996 from their home in Devaria in the province of Uttar Pradesh. His father, a farmer, had come to the city in search of work during the non-seasonal months between June and August. Arun lives in a slum in Mayapuri with his five brothers. His father returns to Devaria for much of the year to farm, working as a painter during the few short months he spends in Delhi.
Arun has been associated with Asha for much of the time he has lived in Delhi. As a member of the children's group, he learnt about the symptoms of various diseases and how to treat them. He also learnt about the importance of sanitation in slum communities and grew in awareness of social issues. Arun also took on the responsibility of looking out for children who were struggling with their studies.
With Asha’s help, Arun successfully applied to Shivaji College where he is studying a BA Programme course in Hindi, English, Geography and Economics. After careful consideration of Arun’s financial circumstances, Asha was able to supply Rs 2500 towards his admission fees and has also provided him with new clothes, shoes and a bag.
It has been a considerable transition for Arun since he is the only one out of the all students from Mayapuri in his year who gained admission to a prized college course. He began college with some apprehension, but is happy now he has more hope of a secure future. Arun wants to become a teacher so that he can help others like himself.
Since joining Asha's women's group I have learnt new skills and have a lot more knowledge. If people can’t get their child admitted to school, or if they are sick, or if they want to open a bank account, I can help them with all these things.
Anwari, Kalkaji
