Dreams do come true!
It’s been 25 long years since Sagar’s* grandparents moved to the city of dreams – Mumbai. Coming from a rural part of Maharashtra, they struggled to settle into the hustle and bustle of this megapolis. First off, Sagar’s grandfather found it almost impossible to get a job. He had completed only a few standards of basic education, so the only work he could find was to repair gas stoves. Meanwhile, his grandmother sold curd to earn a living. They worked hard to provide for their family.
Due to their financial constraints and struggles, Sagar’s father Anil* too couldn’t complete his schooling. It was right after his 9th grade that he dropped out of school. As a young boy, Anil began to take on odd-jobs to supplement the income at home.
Anil got married early, and he dreamt of a bright future for his child – one far better than his. He didn’t want his child to go through the same struggles that he and his father had to face in this city. However, living in one of the poorest slums in the city, Anil struggled to understand even the process of enrolling little Sagar in school.
That’s when our community case officer met Anil during door-to-door house visits in his slum community and spoke to him about the free education available for Sagar at Vision Rescue’s Beacon Learning Centre, right within their slum. Anil enrolled Sagar with us right away.
Little Sagar was welcomed in our nursery at Beacon Learning Centre in 2018. Your gifts reached out with love to Sagar, providing him with not just quality education, but also a rich, nutritious meal every weekday, healthcare assessments, dental check-ups and a full-fledged Community Development program for his family and slum community.
When a child is enrolled in our Beacon Learning Centre, our case officer documents their needs in our Family Case Plan for their upliftment in the months to come.
So while Sagar enjoyed coming to our classes everyday, his parents got involved in every activity we were hosting for his family & community – such as the parent-teachers meeting, focus-group meetings, awareness camps and much more.
Living in an unauthorised slum community means that Sagar’s family was deprived of basic government facilities such as proper sanitation, legal access to electricity, drinking water etc. A large open drainage canal flows right beside Sagar’s house; Sagar would often fall sick because of this. Our teachers noticed this and Sagar was referred to our healthcare team for treatments. He was soon on the road to recovery. Sagar’s parents couldn’t be happier to see their child learning and growing with us!
When the pandemic hit India, your support didn’t stop reaching out to Sagar’s family. In this crucial time of distress, your kind donations reached out to Sagar’s family with groceries twice a month throughout the pandemic.
The lockdown had shut our classrooms but your generosity once again reached out to Sagar with a tablet to continue his studies online with us throughout the pandemic.
This year we enrolled Sagar in a formal English school. This was Vision Rescue aims not only to engage a child in education but also to sustain them in education.
From dropping out of school to seeing his child getting enrolled in a formal school, Anil knew his dream of having a better future for his son Sagar was coming true. Today, Anil reaches out with love to others in need too!
Thank you for your interventions that have opened the doors of education for Sagar and empowered his family too. Many blessings to you!
