In April this year, Din’s daily routine used to start at dawn and end by moonlight. He would leave home as early as he could, get to the local railway station, board a train ticketless and begin begging. All day long, he would work the busy train circuits until he had gathered enough money for the day. With this, the nine-year-old would buy the drugs and alcohol that he was addicted to, spend the evening getting high and return late at night.
Back at home, Din’s mother Bilkis worked in multiple houses as a maid to earn her keep. Her husband had thrown her out of the house, and married another woman. Bilkis was left alone to fend for herself and her youngest son Din. Her older two children, Munni and Mariam, were married and independent.
With Bilkis out of the house all day on work, Din was free to do as he pleased within the slum community in Kalwa. That’s how he had fallen into beggary and substance abuse.
When our community workers first met Din , he was extremely restless and inattentive. Our schools were on summer vacation then, so our team tried to prevent Din from begging during the day by keeping him at our community centre office. However, in a few days, he ran away and couldn’t be found.
Din’s mother brought him back to us a few months later. This time around, he was enrolled in our bridging classes. At first, he used to escape midway through class. But over time, with counselling and coaching, Din began to change.
Today, he attends classes regularly even if his mother isn’t at home! His mother too is being counselled by our team to overcome the hurdles of being a single mother in a community that often shames women like her. Our hope is that in the near future Din will graduate from our bridging classes, join a formal school and pursue a fulfilling life.
Thank you for rescuing Din from the dangerous and desperate future he was headed to.
