ENTERING EDUCATION MID-PANDEMIC
Ayush’s* father Govind* struggled with poverty as a child. He made it up to his primary class and then couldn’t study any further…
In the early 2000s, Ayush’s father moved to Mumbai in search of a job. He was fascinated by the glamour of the city, the skyscrapers and the hustle-bustle. He decided to look for a job and settle down. But things were not as easy as he thought they would be.
His basic education could not find him a steady job so he settled down as a daily-wage driver. On his income, he managed to afford a small hutment in one of the poorest slums of Mumbai – in the M-East Ward.
He faced many struggles in this unauthorized slum community. People living here were deprived of all basic government facilities such as electricity, sanitation and even municipal water supply. Ayush’s father learnt that would have to pay hefty amounts to private dealers to avail these facilities.
These experiences caused him to introspect. He realized that education was crucial for his children to break out of the cycle of intergenerational poverty. He didn’t want his children to suffer like he did because of being uneducated.
Ayush was 7 when we met him but had never been to school. In 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, our Community Champions and Interns introduced free education at Vision Rescue’s Beacon Learning Centre to Aayush’s parents and they happily agreed to enrol him.
Within a few days, Ayush started enjoying his online classes with us. “Ayush is one of the most active students in the class and is also improving in his studies,” say his teachers.
Your gifts have not just engaged Ayush in education but you have been a strong support to him and his family throughout the pandemic. With your help, we were able to provide Ayush’s family with groceries each month of the pandemic and hearty nutritious snacks for the children.
Meanwhile, the Covid-19 vaccination became available in Ayush’s slum community. However, rumours and unverified information about the vaccine was spreading in his neighbourhood. Our medical team stepped in with the right information and awareness about the coronavirus and the vaccine to Ayush’s family and many others in his slum community. Ayush’s mother is now fully vaccinated while his father has taken his first shot. The vaccination card has freed them to travel by public transport to any daily-wage work available to them. Ayush’s mother also volunteers with us now as a Medical Champion – liasoning with government hospitals near her community to acquire healthcare help for those unwell in her neighbourhood.
When the pandemic led many people to unemployment, we helped Ayush’s father register on the E-Shram portal online, which was launched by the Ministry of Labour and Employment of India, for the welfare of workers in the unorganised sector. The data on the portal is used to start new policies, create more jobs in the future and launch new schemes for workers like his father.
Ayush’s family is grateful for your kind generosity and support. Thank you for engaging and sustaining little Ayush in education, even through the difficult days of the pandemic!
*Names changed to protect identity
