CROSSBORDER DREAMS
Prince’s father Tex traveled all the way to Mumbai, India, from the neighboring country Nepal, over a decade ago. He was hoping to make a living in the ‘city of dreams’, but things didn’t turn out as he had imagined.
Tex discovered that owning a home in Mumbai, or even finding steady work here was tough. He settled into a slum cluster in the poorest part of the city: the M-East Ward which is home to over 800,000 people (as per the 2011 census) surrounded by Mumbai’s largest garbage dump. He found himself a makeshift hutment and settled down with his family.
Over time he secured a job as a security guard and could afford to send his older three children to school. His youngest – 4-year-old Prince – was left to play on the streets of his slum community. The family didn’t know that waiting until Prince turned 6 to send him to a free municipal school would result in him losing out on the crucial foundational years of early childhood education.
When we first met Prince on the bylanes of his slum community, we spoke to his mother about the importance of early education, the risks of children spending their tender years in poor company, and the benefits of being nurtured in a classroom environment. Prince’s mother agreed to give our classes a shot and enrolled him in our Beacon Learning Centre in June 2019.
But Prince had other plans in our classes. He cried all day long and peeped out of the window to see his friends playing on the streets. Soon enough though, he grew to love his teachers and classmates and began attending classes regularly. Your gifts reached out to Prince with hearty nutritious meals every weekday, stationery, regular health checkups and dental assessments, educational material and much more.
Within a few months, Prince surprised his family with securing good grades in his examination. “He is one of the most obedient students in class,” says his teacher!
From being suspicious of early education, to choosing to stick with it even during the worst days of the pandemic, Prince and his family have come a long way. When his father Tex left his home country so many years ago, he dreamt of a beautiful life for his children. Today, your gifts are making Tex’s dreams come true for little Prince. He wants to become a doctor when he grows up.
Thank you for Reaching out with love to Prince and his family in such difficult times.
