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Nona

Education • India • 2025
“I couldn’t study because I didn’t even know how to write my name.”

In India, our projects focus on helping street and working children in Delhi and Jaipur access and stay in education. Project staff work closely with parents and caregivers, encouraging them to prioritise schooling for their children. They also guide them through the often-complex school admission processes. The project also runs several education clubs within slum communities, providing a safe and nurturing space where children can receive support with their studies and stay on track with their schoolwork.

Nine-year-old Nona (pictured above) lives with her parents and siblings in Delhi. Her family face challenges when it comes to education, as both of her parents are illiterate. Because of their lack of education and knowledge, they were unfamiliar with how the school admission process worked, making it difficult for them to navigate the necessary steps to get Nona enrolled in school.

During the summer months, Nona would often help her mother with her job making shoe straps to help increase the family’s income. She shares, “I wasn’t really doing anything useful. Mostly, I just wandered around with my friends, and I couldn’t study because I didn’t even know how to write my name. I felt like I should be in school, and it made me sad to see other children going. I didn’t have an Aadhaar card*, so I couldn’t even enrol.”

After meeting Toybox’s local partner, CHETNA, Nona began attending an Education Club. “There, I learned the English and Hindi alphabets. After a while, I could read and write simple three-letter words and even started learning to count. Staff from the project helped me get my Aadhaar card and showed us which papers we needed,” Nona shares.

The team also supported Nona’s family with navigating the school admission process and she is already thriving at school. She shares, “I feel extremely happy because this year I secured third place in the annual exams. I worked really hard to achieve this. Now one of the most important things in my life is to secure good marks in all my exams."

Find out more about our work in India

Find out more about our education work

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