A doctor in the making!
Mumbai generates over 7000 metric tonnes of solid waste every single day. The city has only two functional dumping sites, one of which is the largest in the country, spreading across 130 hectares of land.
Surrounding this dumping site have mushroomed numerous unauthorised slum communities, home to lakhs of people, many of whom are migrant labourers.
Little Saif* lives in one such community.
Saif’s family moved to Mumbai in search of better job opportunities. But in 2021, India was facing the second wave of the coronavirus, and this closed down all schools and job opportunities in the vicinity of Saif’s slum community. Unemployed and without hope for work, Saif’s family was in desperate need of basic groceries to survive. Saif himself had never even had a chance to get enrolled in a school in Mumbai.
It was in this bleak situation that Vision Rescue’s Community Champions in Saif’s slum community found him. They shared with Saif and his family about the importance of early childhood education and that Vision Rescue could provide Saif with quality education absolutely free of cost.
Saif’s parents agreed to enrol him in our Beacon learning Centre. Your donations reached out to Saif with education even in the middle of the pandemic.
It took a few days for Saif to adjust to the new learning environment. But eventually his parents saw their little one progressing.
“Saif is a quick learner and he completes all his homework on time,” says his teacher.
Throughout the pandemic, your gifts reached out to Saif’s family with groceries and hearty nutritious snacks for the children. Our healthcare team raised awareness about the coronavirus, hygiene and the importance of using masks and sanitizers through online videos. Saif’s parents were encouraged to get their COVID-19 vaccine shots too!
Saif’s seven-member family could tackle many of their hardships because supporters like you stood by them during their lowest times. Our community case officer also helped Saif’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 slum community that Saif lives in breathes methane, hydrogen sulphide, benzene and carbon monoxide emitted during decomposition of the mountains of garbage they are surrounded by. This severely affects the health of the residents here. Living in an unauthorised settlement, they’re deprived of all basic government facilities – even proper medical assistance. But because you opened the doors of education, a little boy from a slum community surrounded by rubbish dreams of becoming a doctor when he grows up. Yes, that’s Saif!
Thank you for investing your love, care and support in his life and empowering his family.
