POVERTY COULDN’T STEAL HALEEMA’S DREAMS
Haleema lives in Mumbai’s M East ward – the poorest part of the megapolis, largely comprising clusters of slum communities. During the pandemic, the unemployment rate in this ward increased from 7% to 12% of which self-employed and daily-wage earners were hit hardest. Haleema’s father was one of those hit bad.
10 years ago, Haleema’s father moved to Mumbai to earn a living. He settled into a make-shift hutment in one of the poorest slums of Mumbai close to the city’s largest garbage dump. Here, water, housing, and electricity are luxuries because this slum community is an ‘unauthorized settlement’; the people living here struggle to prove they are ‘legal beings’.
Haleema’s father worked as a tailor and earned approx. Rs.8000/- every month out of which a hefty amount went towards paying private vendors for electricity and water charges. He worked hard to keep a roof over his family’s head.
Amidst his struggles, it was your donations that opened the door of education for Haleema by welcoming her into Vision Rescue’s Beacon Learning Centre in her slum community. She also received nutritious meals every weekday, stationery supplies, books, schoolbags, rain gear, health assessments, dental checkups, and much more. Haleema’s teachers say that she’s one of the most active students in the class.
When the first lockdown hit Mumbai in 2020, Haleema’s father lost his job. Providing basic necessities for their family on no income was a nightmare. The family fell overdue on three months of rent, struggling to pay even for decent meals each day.
In their dark times, your support reached out to Haleema’s family with groceries every month from April last year to date, along with nutritious snacks for the children.
Your generosity also enabled Haleema to continue her studies online during the pandemic.
Today, Haleema dreams of becoming a police officer when she grows up. The pandemic has not stolen her dreams and the tough environment she’s grown up in has not dampened her spirit. It’s your love, support, and prayers that have freed this little child to explore her potential despite all the odds of living in desperate poverty.
Thank you for extending your generosity to Haleema and her family.
