Abandoned in life, little 8 year old Preethi becomes a story of hope

Preethi – this little girl in one of Teach for India’s classes is a happy child with a story that constantly inspires! She makes people believe that good things do happen. Tragedies have occurred one after the other in her life yet she still continues to smile and sets an example for other kids to learn from. Her faith on her didi’s (Teach For India Fellows) and people she loves is immense and she knows with them around, she will be alright!

Preethi is an orphan who lived on the streets with her grandmother and great grandmother four years ago after her mother died of cancer and father abandoned her. She was a shabby looking girl who always roamed in the streets, seen with a chai and a bun with extremely low levels of hygiene. The family survived by begging and eating the food given by the people who lived nearby.

In the last four years, the way life spanned out for her and how she faced the numerous challenges and blessings makes us think she is special. In these four years she lost both her parents and her grandmother. She was adopted by a well-meaning family whom she still loves a lot but unfortunately they abandoned her abruptly. Finally with the help of the TFI fellow who was teaching in her class, she found her way into Rainbow homes in Musheerabad. All her requirements currently are being taken care of by the home and the TFI fellow along with the other fellows who joined the school.

Despite all the difficulties, Preethi has blossomed into a lovely and sensitive child with no sense of hatred for anyone. Being continuously exposed to abusive language/environment on the streets, what surprises is how she managed to shield herself and not let it affect her. She is very hardworking and is consistently picking up in academics. She is one of the high performing kids in the class. She is very interested in extracurricular activities and was part of the winning team in Dramebaaz – a drama competition initiated by Teach For India Fellows.

What also makes us her special is her capacity to reflect on her weaknesses or episodes of stubborn behavior and rationalize. She is very ambitious and has multiple aspirations – an IAS officer, teacher but she fundamentally wants to help many more people like her, when she grows up.