2019
Sumaiya, Chennai: A New Start
The 14-year-old’s words are measured but the message is clear: I don’t want to leave school. But Sumaiya Begum, who is in Grade 9, stopped going to school once summer vacation ended in June. Seven months ago, her father was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer. Since then, the family has been through an emotional roller coaster. Before the illness, Mohammad Sadath Ali worked at a car wash garage, his income barely enough to feed a family of three. Despite their indigent circumstances, Sumaiya’s parents sent their daughter, whom they adopted as a baby, to a reputed private school in Triplicane, Chennai. Both hadn’t finished school but understood the importance of education. Extended family members and friends tried to dissuade her father from spending on Sumaiya’s education saying what was the point when she was going to get married early anyway. Her father’s answer was always the same: I will support what my daughter wants. His illness, however, changed everything. The family couldn’t afford the medical expenses, leave alone Sumaiya’s school fee. They tried to get financial support for their girl’s education from the government and religious trusts but failed.
Sumaiya’s English teacher approached Hope Unlimited for support as she did not want the ‘bright student’ to leave school. “Sumaiya works very hard and never hesitates to speak out when she has something to say,” says the teacher. With a scholarship from Hope Unlimited, the teenager will now be able to finish Grade 9. “We never expected to receive this help when all doors seemed closed. Allah has sent you to us,” said her mother, who is suffering from a neurological disorder and unable to go to work.
The teenager, who loves to play kabaddi and read books on science, wants to study medicine and become a gynaecologist. “I want to help women like my mother who couldn’t have a child,” says the quietly determined girl.
(July 2019)
An Update
In December 2019 Sumaiya's father passed away. As the mother had little financial means, extended family members wanted Sumaiya to drop out of school. However, the girl's mother and teacher were keen that Sumaiya finished school.
Since the family has very little means, the Trust has been supporting the family with a cash transfer every month since March 2020. This is also to ensure that the teenager, who is now in Grade 10, does not drop out. Besides, Hope Unlimited is paying her entire school fee for this year.
(August 2020)
Gayathri, Coimbatore: Scholarship for leader who wants to be a teacher
Hope Unlimited is providing a monthly scholarship for Gayathri, 17. Here is her story:
“I want to study. I want to bring changes in society. Only with education will I be able to change my life and that of others.” Throughout the conversation with Gayathri, these words formed a recurrent theme, almost a mantra that the teenager kept repeating.
The seventeen-year-old, from Sinaripalayam village, Avinashi block in Tiruppur district, Tamil Nadu, comes from one of the most socially and economically marginalized communities in India. Gayathri’s father died when she was a child and her mother works as a construction worker. Her elder sister could not continue her education after she finished Grade 12 and now works in a banian (inner vest) making unit in Tiruppur. Citing their precarious existence, Gayathri’s mother wants her to start working too once she finishes school. The girl, who is now in the last year of secondary school, nurses a different dream though: she wants to become a teacher.
Initiated into child rights by the Centre for Social Education and Development, an NGO, Gayathri uses the knowledge she has gained to talk to other children in her school, in her community and also to the adults about violations of child rights.
The teenager recalls the time when her teachers at school would order the children to wash their lunch boxes and tea cups. When her teacher asked her to do this, Gayathri told her politely but firmly that “I am here to study, not wash your cup. Please don’t ask me to do this, I have rights. Else, I will report you!” The teachers in her school stopped asking the children to do menial work.
As a member of the eco club, Gayathri has learnt the importance of protecting the environment. “We actively spread the message about the harmful effects of using plastic. We have put up boards outside shops warning people not to use plastic. The shop keepers also do not use plastic bags anymore,” says the teenager.
Whether it is talking about the importance of having a toilet or creating environmental awareness, Gayathri takes on a leadership role to spread the message in her community. “When we talk, the message spreads from children to children, to teachers, to parents and this is how change happens slowly. What is important is we should respect each other, talk and solve problems,” says the wise teenager.
(November 2019)
