Dhanush dreams of becoming a police officer

Thank you for coming together to give a year of after-school classes to Dhanush and two others like him.

Dhanush leads the life of extreme poverty. The five members of his family (parents, Dhanush and two siblings) live on his father- Ramesh’s meagre and sporadic earning as a coolie labourer. When she can, his mother Rukmani works too. With Dhanush’s sister Bhanu who is in the 6th standard spends all her time getting to school and back while his mother is busy taking care of the toddler in the house Dhanush is left to study by himself. Yet, he makes an effort and does very well in school.

Dhanush is often in school without a pencil because the family can’t afford to buy his a new pencil more than once in 3 months. When Kayelvizhi met his parents to onvince them to take a more active interest in his studies Rukmani broke down in tears. She said both her son and daughter were very good students but with all of their efforts focussed on having the children fed at least one meal a day there was little else they can do. Dhanush says that he wants to, in order, “Study well, grow up, earn lots and build a house”.  He dreams of becoming a police officer.

Dhanush in class 2 can read comfortably in Tamil and English and even subtract two digit numbers. He is already doing better than 80% children his age in the state and yet, his parents don’t know how long they can continue pretending his dreams will come true.

Thank you for enabling Dhanush and two others like him to get an education.