In the congested lanes behind New Delhi’s Batla House, where tin roofs offer little shelter and dreams are often deferred, lives five-year-old Sofiya. Barefoot and bright-eyed, she belongs to a family struggling to make ends meet. Her mother works as a domestic help, while her father, a labourer, picks up whatever work he can find. Their small jhuggi jhopdi is built of patchwork materials and resilience.
For Sofiya, formal education was a distant dream. School bags, uniforms, and books were things she watched other children carry, never imagining she could have them too. Poverty had kept her out of school, like many other children in her settlement. That changed when the Shaagird Foundation stepped in.
During an outreach visit, the Shaagird Foundation’s team met Sofiya and her family. Moved by her curiosity and quiet desire to learn, they offered her a place in their local Learning Center Bi Amma, just a few lanes from her home. The center, modest in structure but rich in spirit, became Sofiya’s first classroom.
There, she began learning letters, numbers, and rhymes in a nurturing, play-based environment. Her enthusiasm was immediate. She arrived each day with neatly combed hair, eager to participate, read, and count. Though she lacked material possessions, she now had access to something invaluable: opportunity.
Her parents, once weighed down by hopelessness, now watch with pride as their daughter returns home each evening with stories, poems, and new words.Sofiya still lives in the same conditions, but her world has changed. With the Shaagird Foundation’s intervention, she’s not just learning, she’s dreaming.
For this little girl from Batla House, education has finally opened a door. And her journey has only just begun. She aspires to become a police officer one day and serve the nation.
