Today I want to introduce you to another very lovely girl of our school: Priya. With her nearly five years she is one of the youngest students of our school. While her father does not earn a lot and the family sometimes has to rely on the help of their extended family, the girl and her whole family are jolly people who love to laugh and try to take life easy, even if there are financial hardships!
Priya has two brothers, 11 and 8 years old. Her father works as an employee in a sweets shop, earning just enough for the family of five to survive. They have built their home seven years ago, taking a loan from an acquaintance which they still have to pay back – with interest. At the end of every month, they take out whatever they have left in their pockets and give that to their creditor, to have a little less to pay off.
The next-biggest expense is the schooling of the two boys. They started studying at another school years ago and the parents’ plan was to send Priya there, too. When it was time for her to start her first year however, they realized that they simply did not have the money to do that! The fees, the uniform, the books, everything together becomes so much that they just couldn’t do it.
With happiness they heard of our school and sent Priya to us in July 2012. It has been one year now and seeing their daughter’s progress, they are thinking about sending their sons to our school in the next year, too. It would mean a lot to the family’s budget – they would be able to pay off a lot more of their home loan every month.
In school, Priya is an average student, if you look at her marks. She is doing fine in all subjects and her teachers told that she likes talking and joking with her classmates a lot. She is a little bit shy on the first contact but once she opens up, she is a happy and jolly girl who talks a lot. It is not a wonder – her family is just as happy and open!
Like every other child across the world, Priya loves to play, jump and run around. The only difference is that her family is poor. If you would like to support families like hers, you can sponsor a child at our school or their food for a day and help us making a difference!