Dear friends,
I wish to introduce to you this 19-year-old boy and his family I met last week. He is a Bengaluru-based BCom first year student who also wants to pursue Chartered Accountancy course. That he is a brilliant boy can be gauged from his academic and extra-curricular scores. He scored 93% in Class X, 96% in PUC, he cleared Common Proficiency Test (entrance test for CA) this June with distinction (he scored 161, a rare feat). Mind you, this year the pass percentage for CPT across India was just 40%. If you know his background, you will find these scores really impressive. He also has won several prizes for speeches, essays and mimics in his school and college.
Now, why am I writing this? There’s one thing that he lacks, that is, financial support. He lost his father, the only breadwinner in the family the year he was in Class X. He has a mother and a little sister who is now in Class VII. His mother tried her hands trying to learn tailoring but could not earn enough. He has since started taking tuitions for ICSE students (a brilliant tutor, his students and their parents proudly admit). The mother has been struggling to make both ends meet and with help from friends managed to keep the children in school/college.
This year has been tough though. He has to pay his Bcom fees and the deadline is August end. The Bcom fees work out to around Rs 60,000 after some concession which the college has granted. He has to also pay the CA coaching fees which work out to Rs 51,000 for the coaching institute and Rs 18,000 to register with ICAI. So the total expense just for him this year is Rs 1.29 lakh. Add to this, his sister’s fees which after some concession from school work out to Rs 25,000. The college has given his mother a small job at its lab which helps them in some way.
I would also like to describe a day in this boy’s life that will tell you what a hard worker he is. Wake up at 5.30 am, BCom class 6.30 am to 11 am; CA coaching 12 pm to 5.30 pm; his tuitions for Class X ICSE students from 6pm to 8 pm. His personal time for studies only between 9 pm and 11 pm after bath and food. He also would like to spend time with friends, but he tells me, he wants to focus on studies and tuitions as he doesn’t want his mother and little sister to lose out on life just because his father is not there. I found him very very mature for his age. He has no time to cry his heart out to anyone as he is always conscious of the burden of his family on his shoulder. I came to know of this family through my BRIDGE work. After learning about their situation, I assured them of all our support till he fulfils his dream of “becoming a CA and taking care of the family and families like his”.
Friends, I am really excited about this boy as he is such a brilliant one and so committed which I do not find in boys of his age. I have no doubt that he will pass out with flying colours. I am trying to raise money for his education and subsistence. My target is to raise Rs 5 lakh for him and keep it in his account for his studies till he completes his BCom and CA studies. I don’t want his studies to be disturbed by his worries over fees anymore. Let us help him focus on only his studies by providing for his fees. Let’s help make a CA out of him. Why do we save money if it cannot be used for a good cause life this? When I visited his family and assured them of our financial support, tears of joy started flowing from the mother’s eyes and this boy, otherwise appeared so strong, started sobbing.
Friends, this is a personal appeal to all my FB friends. Let’s do our bit and you can be proud to be part of the journey of this family. God will reward you for sure.
Please share this with your friends too.