What a Year!
It was 365 days ago today when I walked into the Carmel Convent School and met Sister Pushpa for the first time. She sat me down in her office and, for the next hour and a half, we had a conversation that I knew would change my life. We discussed such topics as the purpose of our existence, the plight of the poor, and the perseverance of the human spirit.
Little did I know, however, that I would walk into that same office one year later with more than three dozen children from the jhuggis under our wings, that we would celebrate their outstanding academic and athletic achievements, or that I would be back here in India.
As of this time last year, Ajeet had no plans of ever attending school. He is now the top student among his high-end class of 160 students. In only a year, he has learned how to read nearly anything in English or Hindi, have entire conversations in English, and multiply and divide in his head even faster than I can. He didn’t have any dreams for his future 365 days ago. Now, he wants to become an engineer. NASA, I think you should get ready for one of the best employees you’ll ever have.
Daulati had never been to a doctor before her condition became severe and her family brought her to us. She has now had full radiology and lab workups and is under Directly Observed Treatment (DOTS) for her disease: tuberculosis of the spine. DOTS officials will visit her every other day for the next 9 months to administer her medication. More about her recent hospital visits is coming soon.
Marital and family disputes ended in violence for Prianka (our student) and her mother. Fearing for their lives, they fled together to a place no one could find them. After searching far and wide for over a month, we finally found Prianka and have returned her to the peace and love of our care. She is not only safe but happy and excited to return to her friends in the classroom. We have arranged temporary transportation to and from school for Prianka until her mother and she can find permanent and safe housing.
Inspired by our progress over the last year, Mamta started her own slum school this week. She found a bilingual teacher and is fundraising on her own to begin a new chapter for herself and many children in the slum. On the first day, 53 children and families showed up. Within the first three days, more than 100 children came for admission.
This week, Versha (our student in Lower Kindergarten) won “First Place” in her English Writing Competition among 164 of her classmates. We always knew she was talented; now, everyone else does too.
Many students have had impeccable attendance. However, Roshan’s has been nearly perfect with 222 days of attendance since we started recording last March. One must remember that our students attend school from early in the morning to late in the afternoon 6 days per week. This young man is dedicated, ambitious, and as photogenic as they come.
As you know, we’ve been hard at work looking for more high-potential children to give the chances of a lifetime. There are thousands who deserve our help. Some, however, stand out immediately. It’s like they’ve been preparing for our arrival all year…or perhaps their entire lives.
We’ve chosen our 15 young girls for the class of 2027 and have begun preparing them for the first day of school on April 1st, 2013. In coming days, I’ll be introducing them to you.
We are not the only people nurturing and caring for this new class of students. Our older students have, as I expected, begun treating our newest students like their little sisters.
This time last year, Indu was sweeping homes to support her family with an additional income of $20 per month. We took her and put her on an entirely different track. She is now one of the most hard-working students her teacher has ever seen. I wonder why!
Santosh died in January, shortly after his first birthday. His mother wailed and cried in my arms when I visited his home the day after he passed. Even though his death was caused by easily treatable diarrhea, his family has carried on. His 3-year-old sister is a student in Mamta’s slum school and his mother has already given birth to a new baby boy.
In only a year, we have impacted directly and indirectly thousands of people’s lives. We have promoted the value of education, the importance of healthcare, and, perhaps most importantly, the ideals of equality that sometimes seem so absent here. We are small, so small; but our determination and long-term outlook certainly set us apart.
Although many lives have been transformed here, I feel that I am the one who has grown and learned most from this epic journey. Over the past year, I have learned more about public health, business, education, politics, poverty, corruption, illiteracy, religion, spirituality, web design, photography, charity work, and humanity than I could ever learn in a classroom. As a strikingly honest and insightful physician correctly concluded earlier this week during my visit to a government hospital, I’m slowly transitioning toward a much more macro level of thinking and problem solving.
To the hundreds of people who have volunteered their services and donated their money to Squalor to Scholar over the past year, I am and will be forever grateful for your vital and unwavering support. None of this would have been possible without you.
