Six children. One income. The odds were stacked against Deepak right from his birth. His parents had migrated to Mumbai in 2009, from one of India’s poorest states – Uttar Pradesh. They came flush with hopes of finding employment here but with the city bursting at its seams with migrants looking for labour, work was lean for Shivkumar, Deepak’s father.
For ten years now, Shivkumar has worked the circuits of daily-wage labour, selling his physical strength for what money it will bring him. Like Mumbai’s 9 million others, he and his family live in a slum community, stuffing their lives into a single room made of tin sheets, with no water, electricity or toilet.
Deepak was born in this slum community four years ago. While his older three siblings studied at a municipal school nearby, by the time it was his turn, there was no money left. Shivkumar had also slipped into alcoholism and gutka addiction, so what little he earned would be whittled away there.
In June 2018, our community workers met Deepak and his brother Sunil on the streets of their slum community. Both were out of school, and could barely read or write. Their mother Seema was so thrilled to hear about our learning centre within their slum community that would provide quality education to both children for free.

As soon as Deepak and Sunil joined our classes, your gifts welcomed them with warmth – workbooks, uniforms, a school bag, shoes, raincoats, stationery and so much else became their prized possessions.

Deepak especially loved his junior kindergarten class. His sharp mind helped him pick up new concepts faster than his peers and his friendly nature won over his classmates and teacher too.

Later in the school year, Deepak and Sunil fell ill with chickenpox and were unable to come to class. As the disease was doing the rounds of the children’s slum community, our medical team conducted an awareness camp which equipped Deepak’s family to handle the illness without fear. Both children were referred by our medical team to our partner municipal hospital and both recovered completely.

Thank you for rescuing Deepak from generational poverty and giving him a leg up to a life of empowerment through education, healthcare and nutrition. He dreams of becoming a policeman and serving his community one day.