IT TAKES A VILLAGE!
Taksh was only 3 years old when his father moved back to their native place leaving his four siblings and mother behind in Mumbai. Taksh’s mother Firdous lives in a small one-room house in the poorest slums of Mumbai that border the city’s largest garbage dump.
As the sole earning member of the family left, Firdous was determined to give her children the best she possibly could. We first met Taksh on the streets of his slum community and asked to meet his mother. When Firdous learned how formative and powerful childhood education can be, and that too free of cost at Vision Rescue, she had no second thoughts but quickly agreed to enroll little Taksh in our Beacon Learning Centre which is right inside their slum community.
When Taksh entered our Beacon Learning Centre he did not just receive quality free education but a nutritious meal every weekday, healthcare, dental checkup and so much more! All at no cost to his mother.
Taksh’s mother struggled everyday to make the world a better place for her children until one day the pandemic hit the country in March 2020. Firdous was helpless. Looking after her 5 children, paying bills, providing basic necessities seemed impossible. The lockdown had closed all job opportunities and with no source of income, Firdous feared hunger more than the Coronavirus.
How do I feed my children? Can I get work in this lockdown? Who will look after us? What if hunger overwhelms us?
Firdous would think about this all day long not knowing that it slowly started affecting her mental health. But Firdous stayed strong for her children. Your kind donations enabled us to help Firdous and Taksh’s family with groceries each month throughout the pandemic.
Firdous says, “Vision Rescue stood with me in the most difficult times, without your support it would have been difficult to feed children.”
Your gifts not only helped Taksh’s family with groceries but also with hearty nutritious snacks for Taksh and all his siblings.
When the country began to ease lockdown restrictions, Firdous got a job in a cloth factory. With the little that she earned, she paid a hefty amount towards the bills and their basic daily necessities.
Firdous was worried about Taksh’s education because the lockdown had shut our classrooms and with no access to smartphones or the Internet little Taksh was left behind by the digital divide.
But once again, your support enabled us to send an Education Representative at his home to teach Taksh on their smartphone. Taksh completed one whole academic year with us online right from his home and is now enrolled in our Senior Kindergarten. This year, his younger brother too joined our online Beacon Learning Centre.
Taksh’s mother is the happiest! Seeing her children learn and grow, Firdous joined training sessions and went on to be our Community Champion to empower others in her slum community. How amazing is that!
Thank You for empowering this young mother and standing with her in the most difficult times. It is your gifts that have enabled Taksh sustain in education. Thank you for Reaching out with Love!
