Stories of Hope

Abandoned at a very young age, Sunitha and her younger brother begged on Chennai’s local trains until they were rescued by an NGO. Today, with the lifelong support and guidance of ‘Helping Hands’ – a CAF India partner NGO, both Sunitha and her brother are well settled and lead successful independent lives.
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12-year-old Archana is a star in her school. Her excellence in athletics has earned her huge respect from her peer groups. The awards and ranks she has brought by competing in state level championships have not only made her mother Lajjavati proud, but in fact the entire Upper Primary School Salempur Pataura, Kakori staff today basks in the glory of her achievements. Her achievements could not have been possible without the help and support from Akshaya Patra, a CAF India partner, who gave her the opportunity to pursue her dreams of becoming a star athlete! READ MORE
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Srilatha’s story is a perfect example of how even simple interventions can go a long way in transforming the health and lives of people in our communities. Growing up, Srilatha would often fall sick and have to miss school – but neither she nor her family ever knew why. In one of the awareness sessions on health & hygiene organized by MAGIC BUS in her community, Srilatha realized and understood the effects of drinking contaminated water, the symptoms of related sicknesses, and how to test, treat, manage and store water. Exposed to these lessons she realized that water could be the problem since the only source of water for her family was an open well, which contains only contaminated water.
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14-year-old Sravya Madasu wants to be a doctor. “There are no hospitals in the radius of 10 km of our village. It is so difficult to get a doctor during emergencies. I want to be the first doctor of Pudur village and open a hospital in my community.” Sravya goes to a government school in Bollaram and lives with her maternal grandparents. Abandoned by her father when she was born, her mother struggled to educate herself, find employment and raise her two daughters. With Rs. 5000 a month, Sravya’s family struggles to make ends meet, sleeping hungry on many occasions. However, Magic Bus’ intervention in her school has given Sravya a new found hope for a brighter future. Today, she wants to become a doctor and help mentor others just like those who made a difference in hers.
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Born to an auto-rikshaw driver and a road side candle seller, Nandha Kumar spent his early childhood living at the edge of poverty; just a step shy of succumbing to child labor. At the age of 7, with the intervention of CRY, Nandha discovered football and with it a yearning to succeed in life. Despite long hours of practice Nandha never neglected his studies and struck an impeccable balance between schoolwork and football. Moving from strength to strength, today Nandha Kumar has represented the Indian team at the AFC Under-23 Championship in Doha & Singapore in July 2017 and Sep 2017 respectively.
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