“I miss my dad a lot. It would be great if he were with us.”
11-year-old Tara lives with her mum and two older siblings in Jaipur, after the family relocated to the city in search of work. Tragically, Tara's father passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic and her mother is now the main breadwinner for the family. She works as a seasonal labourer, while Tara contributes to the the family's earnings through occasional embroidery work, as well as through fixing artificial gems stones to jewellery (shown in the photo below). Here, in her own words, Tara shares her journey from street to school.
"My family originally resided in a small village in Uttar Pradesh. However, due to excessive rainfall in 2018, our home was washed away. In search of employment and livelihood, all of my family members had to relocate and seek refuge in the makeshift houses in a slum in Jaipur."
In August 2022, Tara's family first came into contact with CHETNA, Toybox's local partner in India, and heard about their education centre and the support they offered. Tara explains,
"CHETNA's educator, visited my house and emphasised the importance of education to my mother, which motivated her to enroll me in the education centre for study. She also assisted us in preparing the necessary documents for my school admission.
After joining CHETNA's education centre, the team helped me obtain my Aadhaar card, which had not been made previously due to incomplete documents. They also ensured that my name was registered in the school records.
I encountered numerous challenges during my school enrollment process because I lacked essential documents. Thankfully, CHETNA's educator went above and beyond to arrange all these documents for me.
Despite her efforts, my admission requests were rejected by several schools, which left me feeling disheartened. However, after multiple rejections, I finally secured admission to a government school. Now I am now studying in the 5th grade and am overjoyed that I have the opportunity to attend school. I used to watch other children going to school and often wondered if I would ever have the chance to do the same. I am filled with happiness and gratitude for this opportunity - my dream is to become a teacher in the future.
Above: Left - Tara reading, right Tara (second from right) with her friends.
Tara continues,
"Before joining this project, I didn't pay any attention to cleanliness, and I didn't know how to read or write. However, through this project, I have learned all these things. One of the best things that happened to me is getting admission to school through this project. I used to believe that I would never have the opportunity to attend school, and that my life would be consumed by daily chores.
During my time at the project I have learned numerous valuable lessons. I've gained an understanding of the importance of education, the benefits of participating in sports, the significance of personal hygiene, the concept of "good touch/bad touch", and received important information about menstruation."
Since Tara became involved with the the project, her daily routine has changed significantly and she has hopes and aspirations for the future. She shares,
"Before I went to school, I used to spend my time wandering around or doing whatever work came my way, as well as taking care of household chores. Now my day's quite structured and busy. I am very optimistic about my future. My goal is to pursue my studies diligently and secure a job that will allow me to support my family financially. I am determined to work hard and create a better future for myself and my loved ones.
My role model is my mother. I want to be like her because she has great courage and is raising us all without my father. I miss my dad a lot. It would be great if he were with us."