Educate Children Living on Construction Sites

Dear Supporters,

Thank you for your wonderful support to our organisation during the last quarter of this year.

We would like to share a story of one of our Alumni who has overcome challenges and extreme adversities common in the lives of migrant labourers, to forge a stable and successful future for himself. He is an inspiring example of working towards a fulfilling life amidst hardship and deprivation.

Against the Odds!

The cement and dust in the air quickly formed a thick layer of grime on the pages within minutes after Suraj opened his book to read. Every day, cement obscured the text making it difficult for him to read the words behind the grainy, grey layers of dust; but all this did not faze Suraj's desire to read. At 29, Suraj is a perfect example of hard work, persuasion and strong will. He completed a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) with specialisation in Human Resource and is currently working in a well-known non-profit organisation. Suraj might have followed the footsteps of his father and become a semi-skilled construction worker but he had other dreams. He is now an inspiration to children and youth from his own community.

 Suraj migrated from the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra to Mumbai at the age of 10 along with his family. Suraj’s father found work as a daily wage labourer at a construction site where Mumbai Mobile Creches also happened to be running a day care centre for the children of labourers. Eventually, Suraj’s mother also began working on the same construction site, to add to the family’s income.

 Suraj was studying at a school in his native village but after coming to Mumbai there was a gap of a year in his schooling. Suraj was enrolled into MMC’s centre on the site and the teachers in the centre helped him enrol back in a local municipal school. Suraj proudly shares that “Along with good food, we used to get education. I learned the habit of doing things on time at MMC. It helped in my studies also. (After coming to MMC), I have taken education seriously.”

 The noisy and dangerous environment of a construction site, the family’s poor financial condition and the sudden death of his father didn’t stop Suraj from pursuing education. At one point, he had to stop his college due a major road accident, but he did not run away from the situation. He continued to study and completed his graduation.

 With determination and grit, Suraj has found a way out of these difficulties. He continues his association with us; He is a part of the Alumni group and also helps us to work in the community.

 *Name changed to protect identity