“When my father fell ill, I thought my dreams would shatter. I knew I had to be the responsible one and take care of my family,” said Umar, a former student at Calcutta Rescue’s No 1 education centre.
Umar lives in a slum area near the school, with his parents, three younger sisters, and one younger brother.
As he was preparing for his class 10 board exams, his father fell ill and was unable to work. His mother, who was a domestic help, had to cut down on her work to care for her ailing husband.
Being the eldest son, Umar felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, and thought he would have to drop out of education to earn money to support the family. “I couldn’t bear the thought of my siblings suffering,” he said, voice trembling.
One by one, his siblings began to take up small jobs to ease the financial burden, and it broke Umar’s heart.
Ananya, head of education at Calcutta Rescue, said that at a session to support students studying for their exams: “Umar told us he wouldn’t be able to appear for the exams and he broke down crying.”
Moved by Umar’s plight, the teachers at Calcutta Rescue School started providing him with counselling. “We convinced him to appear for the exams and assured him that we would help him,” Ananya said.
With their support, Umar passed his class 10 and 12 board exams, and Tuli Chatterjee, the vocational training and career counsellor at Calcutta Rescue, managed to get him onto a year-long computer hardware technician course.
At the end of it, Umar had done so well that he was offered a job.
“I cannot express how grateful I am,” Umar said, beaming with happiness.
He now earns a steady income of 9,000 rupees per month – enough to support the family of seven as the sole breadwinner. Along with his job, Umar has now started taking evening classes at college.
The family is very happy. Especially Umar’s mother. She said, “Thank you Calcutta Rescue for taking care of my son.”
