MUKESH

Mukesh was 8 or 9 years when I first met him, 12 years ago. Having completed his first petty theft successfully, he was almost on the verge of taking to the streets of Kathmandu like hundreds of other kids who migrate to the valley from remote villages in search of a better life.

He lived with 5 other members of his family in a 6x6 feet room. Obviously till then he had not seen what a school in Kathmandu looked like from inside.

When Mukesh first went to school, the teachers were slightly confused for he was too old for pre-primary and not literate enough to be admitted in the primary section. However, soon he turned out to be a smart kid and within 6 months to the primary section. Mukesh was double promoted 2 more times. Today he is pursuing his undergrad studies in Public Health. He spends his afternoons in Koseli helping with school administration. He dreams of going to America for his advanced studies.

This is Mukesh's story. This is the story of hope. Sometimes all it takes to hold a hand to bring a metamorphosis in child’s life and fill his eyes with dreams of tomorrow.

Shikshantar Evening School

Shikshantar Evening School (also run under Shikshantar Outreach Program) runs from 4pm to 7pm. The school initially catered to children but now all the kids from the evening school have been transferred to Koseli. And the evening school is converted into an ADULT EDUCATION CENTRE for women belonging to the lowest income group.

Koseli

"Koseli" is run under a registered NGO (Shikshantar Outreach Program). It is a centre for slum and street children. Currently we have 75 kids with requests for more admissions every day.

These kids belong to the lower most economic strata of the society. Thus their biggest need is survival.

Koseli means a gift and the centre does exactly that. Our children come to school at 9am. Brush, bathe, change into school uniforms and settle down to study. At 1 pm they are served a hot, wholesome meal. They continue to study till 4pm and then have a light snack before leaving. However, from 5pm - 7pm we engage a few children in simple activities like making bags out of old newspapers, book marks etc. This is done to keep these kids away from gambling on the streets after school.

In addition to fooding, clothing, recreation and educational needs, the school also takes care of their medical needs. Our children survive in unimaginable living conditions so have a lot of medical issues and we know that there is nobody else to care of those.