He took a deep breath in and found comfort in the cool air left from the morning rains. standing in the doorway, he waited for that final ounce of courage to gently nudge himself through.
As he lifted his foot off the dirt path and leaned forward he remembered all the steps that led him there and all the people who encouraged him along the way. He turned his head and looked back as his foot touched the concrete classroom floor, smiling ever so slightly as to say, “let’s do this” to all those who stood behind him, believing that he would.
Naseem was 12 years old when he dropped out of the 7th standard and for no other reason than sheer necessity.
Living in Shivaji Nagar, one of Asia’s largest slums was demanding and as a family of six, Naseem’s father, mother and oldest brother worked very hard to provide for everyone. When Sameera, the youngest of the siblings fell severely ill, stopping work wasn’t even an option. If food, shelter, and now medicine was needed, Naseem would have to step up as the next oldest in line to care for Sameera. Naseem left school and looked after his sister doing whatever he could to help the family continue to survive.
Having a 12-year-old look after their 3-year-old sibling is an unsettling but common reality in the slums of Mumbai.
After his sister got better, it was easy for Naseem to stay out of school as atrophy and distractions set in as is the case with many young children in slum communities. The months become years and the drive to learn dwindled away. That was until Naseem and his family met the Vision Rescue (VR) team.
Naseem at first was unsure if he could return to regular schooling considering all the time lost but as the VR team and his parents encouraged and believed in him, he regained his confidence. Soon he was not only regularly attending VR classes but impressing his teachers with how fast he could grasp new concepts.
Naseem is one of the many children who’ve been affected by the difficult realities of poverty.
He is also one of the many children you have helped through your partnership with Vision Rescue. May we continue to see more children cross that threshold into education and into a better future.
