“Like many in my community, we depend solely on my father’s earnings. He is a daily wage earner and works in a marble factory. We live in a rented accommodation and the rent is so high, that it leaves very little to meet monthly expenses let alone pay for schooling. During the lockdown, he was not paid for a few months as everything had shut down. When things got a little better, he got his job back. But it is still not easy to meet daily needs. Just living is expensive.

The pandemic has taught us to see the world differently! And become a little more stronger from within.”

Mampi Das

-Mampi is a recipient of Smile Foundation’s Swabhiman Scholarship to pursue higher education.

I am going to fulfil my mother’s dreams and support her like she supported me.

Nirmal’s mother has been her strongest pillar in her journey. Her father did not support her getting an education past eighth standard. Her mother convinced her father to allow her to go for higher studies. Born and bought up in a slum in Delhi sending a girl to school was not exactly a piece of cake but Nirmal and her mother were ready to face the hurdles together.

From being a little child dreaming of going to school to becoming a strong and courageous girl Nirmal has come a long way struggling to be successful. Smile Foundation’s Swabhiman scholarship allowed Nirmal to be more fearless towards financial issues hampering her studies. Nirmal is currently studying in Class 10 and aspires to study more to fulfil all her mother’s dreams. Her parents are very proud of her and encourage her more every day.

“My parents are daily wage earners who have spent their entire lives in the city without access to education or proper living facilities. I was never encouraged to pursue education. I remember the countless counselling sessions conducted at my home by teachers that finally helped me get enrolled in school. There were challenges at home always, but my teachers kept motivating me to not give up. I scored the highest marks in class 9th, 10th and recently, I received merit-based scholarship for scoring highest marks in class 12. Today, my teachers often give my example to encourage other parents to send their children to school. Education transforms lives and I feel pleased to be a role model for other children.”

Payel is among the brightest students in Kolkata who have received scholarships under Smile Foundation’s Swabhiman programme to pursue higher education.

“My father worked as sewage cleaner and I worked in a private job. In the past 6 months, our income stopped and our savings were depleting fast. We were having sleepless nights thinking about how to manage our family’s expenses. I approached Savita Didi (Swabhiman coordinator) for help. Listening to my ordeal, she instantly suggested me to use the pile of clothes stocked in my house to make handmade masks. She taught me a simple way to make the masks and even advised to connect with the company I worked in for marketing of the masks. Now, it takes me 4 hours to prepare 50 masks. At the end of the day now, I can sleep peacefully as I am able to ensure meals for my family and also say that we can inspire each other to become change makers.”

The story of 22 year old Bhawna is an inspiration to all the young girls striving through a difficult time without taking a back step.

“Education is sacred for us. Many of our parents haven’t stepped in a school. Hundreds of boys and girls who starve for knowledge, struggle through many hardships and challenges. But they do not want to give up on learning.

I feel every child in my slum deserves a chance to grow up, be able to read and write, and become doctors, engineers and teachers. Every evening, after my college, I teach students who are first in their families to be getting an education. I just want to give these children all the knowledge that I have by teaching them the way I was taught by my hard-working teachers.”

-Anam

(Anam has received merit-based scholarship under Smile Foundation’s Swabhiman programme to pursue higher studies. We congratulate her and thank her for choosing to teach children in her locality.)

I want to improve the conditions that my parents live in. I am working towards it.

Last year, Yogita was awarded with a merit-based scholarship under Smile Foundation’s Swabhiman programme to help her complete her schooling and higher studies. She belongs to a family who work hard yet struggle to make ends meet. Yogita’s mother Kiran works as a maid washing dishes, cleaning and mopping 5-6 houses every day. In the evening she packs plastic balls meant to be played with by little children and sells them at traffic signals.

Even though she is illiterate herself, Kiran ensured that her three daughters went to school. It is a fruit of her efforts that her eldest daughter Yogita has always been a class topper. Whether it is the burning sun, heavy rains or biting cold, both parents never take a single day off just so that their daughters can have an easier life and do not have to struggle daily like them.

“My father’s wage is the only source of income for our family, like most migrant households. My father is a vegetable seller. His income is severely affected by economic slowdowns. Despite his low earnings, he tries to fulfil all our requirements. And this has unintentionally strengthened my siblings and me. My pursuit to become an IAS officer is currently being hampered by our financial issues. But I’ve decided to surpass this barrier. I am grateful that my parents believe in me regardless of what society says. And I feel that showing that they trust in me for the right reasons is the only way to repay them.”

Sarita is a recipient of a merit-based Scholarship from Smile Foundation to pursue higher education.

“Living in a family of 5 with only one earning member is not easy. It is extremely difficult and demotivating when your family does not support your dreams. My father is non-supportive towards me being educated.. He always says that I should spend more time helping my mother with house chores and looking after my younger siblings than in studying. Had I not received a scholarship for supporting my education, I would have dropped my schooling. I aim to become a journalist.  With this support, I have also gained an understanding of the subjects which I earlier found hard to study. The life skill training has helped me to communicate in a more effective way which is essential for, my future goal.”

Anjali has received the Swabhiman scholarship to complete her higher education.

There are many girls in my locality who have never got a chance to go to school. When your family struggles for basic needs every day, education no more remains a priority. This was my story too. I, along with my siblings, spent most of my time at home. When my parents learnt about a free school in the locality, they enrolled all of us there. Truly, I had no interest in studies. I ignored the lessons taught and often skipped classes. Regardless of all these, my teachers never gave up on me.

They started giving me responsibilities – made me participate in all kinds of co-curricular activities and made me organise school events. I never knew when it happened, but I started to enjoy being at school and started to enjoy learning. When I was ranked among the highest scorers in class 8, my parents were the happiest! I am currently pursuing my graduation and hope to make my parents and teachers even more proud with my endeavours.”

Mili

(Mili is a recipient of Smile Foundation’s Swabhiman Scholarship, that is helping her continue her education.)

This poultry farm has been a boon in disguise for me. Not only do I feel economically independent but also empowered to make my own decisions. I want to run my farm on a big scale.”

Ranjana,is an empowered woman from Modgaon village in Palgarh district of Maharashtra who started her own poultry farm during the pandemic.

‘Why are we old people often considered useless? It hurts even more when our own children treat us like a burden on them. We are loved only till we are as healthy as a horse. Our wrinkled face and toothless smile isn’t really adored by anyone. After my husband’s death, I put my heart and soul in raising my children. I worked as a construction labourer to ensure that my children don’t sleep empty stomach.”

“Recently, I have been asked to earn for myself as nobody among my children could afford to feed me two times a day. I have promised to myself that I would never beg. So, I started making and selling ‘paper bags’. That much is sufficient for me. Besides buying food for myself, I can manage to buy sweets for my grandchildren with it.”

Hungry and wrapped in a torn saree, she was roaming cluelessly on the streets of Delhi. It was a cold night just before Christmas in 2010. She was shivering. When the locals enquired about her whereabouts, she could not speak a single word. Why? She was hearing and speech impaired. All she could express was ‘hunger’ through sign language. She seemed extremely pale, as if she didn’t eat properly for days.

The locals though registered a complaint with police to trace her whereabouts, but gave her shelter in their houses on random basis. Their children in the meanwhile developed a liking for her. She became ‘Amma’ for everyone. Though she can’t speak, yet expresses everything through her eyes. Amma looks after the children in the absence of their parents, feeds them, plays with them and even scolds them if they don’t study. But when their parents shout at their children, she protects them by hiding them under her bed. The bonding between them has developed to such an extent that even a slight mention of Amma going back brings tears to the locals.

Amma’s tale proves that it is love –not blood relationship that makes a family. Amma is a recipient of our women empowerment programme Swabhiman