“I was adamant to educate girls from the beginning. It hit me when I used to see a young girl come to my house along with her mother who was a household maid. She used to accompany her mom with odd jobs like sweeping the compound and cleaning the house. It saddened me to see her do menial work instead she was supposed to go to school and get the education for a better life. We’ve seen a lot many mothers who bring their kids to work. I wanted to provide her with proper studies and that’s where it started educating less privileged girls. Also, my family always believed in helping such children. My father often used to take me to orphanages during school summer vacations where I’d spend quality time with them and also share beds. It helped me inculcate the values of generosity and care for the needy.
Soon I started to collect Rs 1000 cheque from people to fund the education of children in need. I started doing this seven years back and now I’m educating 23,637 underprivileged boys and girls. They’re going to school and getting the best quality education. All my kids are going to schools which are owned by different NGOs and are providing proper education. There are in total 140 such schools in the city where the fees are minimal.
Apart from the city, I also get donations from abroad like the UK and US. It pleases me that people are concerned and want to provide their best possible effort for those kids’ education. On the other hand, I’ve also met people who are ultra-rich and send those kids to me. I believe instead for reaching out me, they should fund their education entirely. The transactions happen directly to the educational institutes. I’m not a middle-man taking commission.
Many children have passed out from school and are now attending college. Some are doing Arts while some B.com and some even pursuing CA. It makes me immensely happy to see the families’ joy over their child’s achievements. They’re so happy with the decision of providing them with an education for a better life.
I also look for the wellbeing of old citizens who have trouble making both ends meet. They’re often left unattended when it comes to food as they cannot fetch it for themselves. I’m a mediator in providing them with food and care that they deserve.
It’s really satisfying to see their smiles over content in their life. I started with the sponsorship for one child and the numbers grew to thousands. It just doesn’t stop at educating 23637 children, it’ll keep on growing!”
Says Nishita Rajput, a 25-year-old social worker from the city
