Four-year-old Hafiz lives in a small one-room house in a slum community close to Mumbai’s largest dumping ground. Every time Hafiz steps out into the streets, his mother is worried for his safety as vehicles crowd the street they live on.
Hafiz’s family moved into this Mumbai slum 12 years ago, long before he was even born. His father believed that leaving his village and pursuing employment in this metropolis was the only way he could provide his future child with a decent education. Hafiz’s father found work as a tailor and he earned Rs.5000/- (USD 66) every month.
But living in an unauthorised slum community like Hafiz’s can be very expensive. The government cannot legally provide families here with even basic services such as water, electricity or sanitation facilities, so Hafiz’s father is left at the mercy of private dealers who charge high, arbitrary amounts to meet their basic needs.
Once they pay for rent, water and electricity, there’s little left over from Hafiz’s father’s income to pay for formal education, so Hafiz was enrolled into our Beacon Learning Centre in his slum. Our teachers love Hafiz’s gentle nature and quick learning skills.
It was in these troubled times that your donations reached Hafiz’s family. Our medical team got Hafiz quality healthcare and medications; Hafiz’s community case officer ensured the family received a grocery kit every month, including nutritious snacks for Hafiz, and the family received awareness training on what the coronavirus actually is and how to keep themselves safe in this time. Hafiz was even able to attend our online Beacon Learning Centre classes through his father’s smartphone.
When the lockdowns in Mumbai eased up, Hafiz’s father returned to work, and as the family had only his father’s phone for Hafiz to study on, Hafiz was briefly unable to continue online classes. Your generosity once again enabled us to send an education representative to Hafiz’s home to teach them on their smartphone, so that Hafiz could continue his studies. Seeing her child’s progress, Hafiz’s mother even joined our online vocational training course.
The last two years of Reaching out with Love to Hafiz and his family have borne great fruit, and we are so grateful for your partnership to empower this family.
Little Hafiz dreams of becoming a policeman when he grows up, and we can’t wait to see him achieve his dreams!
