By Educate Girls | Project Manager
10-year-old Sana*, a specially-abled child, is the youngest member of the family of 11. She lives in a remote village in Uttar Pradesh, India. In her village, education is the least important thing; hence, all her siblings are either dropped out or were never enrolled in school. While her sisters were married young, her brothers moved to cities to support the family.
However, Sana was always found her solace in books. She had trouble walking but her motivation to study kept her going. She says, “I want to become a doctor when I grow up. At least that way, I can be completely independent. I could pay for my treatment! I want to be a doctor and open a free hospital for children like me."
Her dream was shattered when she had to drop out of school in Grade 5, because her family couldn’t afford to buy her a wheelchair. Without a wheelchair, she could not go to secondary school taht was far from her house. She felt hopeless but continued to study at home in her free time and helped her mother with the household chores.
During a door-to-door survey, Educate Girls’ team met Sana and her family. They told the team about Sana’s desire to study, but due to the financial crisis, they cannot afford to buy her a wheelchair and educate her.
After understanding the situation, the team informed the family about a government scheme that could help them get a free wheelchair for Sana. “The Educate Girls’ team members informed us about our rights and government schemes that we were not aware of. They took us to the school to obtain the required documents and to the concerned government department, where they helped us file a request for the wheelchair. They kept track of the request until Sana received a wheelchair,” shared Sana’s father.
Now, Sana was re-enrolled in school in Grade 5. She says, “I was able to get a wheelchair because of the organisation and I am able to go to school again! After I dropped out, I never thought that I would be able to go to school. It feels like a dream come true.”
Sana now goes to school regularly with a smile on her face!
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