Kalimun loves playing with other children!

Three year old Kalimun Sheikh hails from Turbhe red light area, one of the innumerable poverty stricken red light pockets in Mumbai. Her father, Afzal, is not educated and her mother works in the red-light district as a maid. The family income is barely enough to make both ends meet.

Children like Kalimun, also face educational deprivation in terms of generational illiteracy, physical access to education and quality of education. Due to social stigma and poverty associated with red light areas, the children are not put in school and this missing out on education further compounds the present and future challenges of children like Kalimun.

Though Kalimun hails from such a disadvantaged background she can dream of a stable future with a good education because she studies at Turbhe study center, run by Sahaara. The foundational pre-primary teaching provided at Sahaara’s balwadis enables Kalimun to step into a bright future through enrolment in a good school.

Sahaara’s balwadi has a systematic curriculum wherein children are equipped in the following subjects over the period of a year: English and Hindi: alphabets and poems, writing skills, general knowledge (colors, animals, flowers, personal hygiene etc), coloring, games and activities such as counting and recognition.

Kalimun is a keen student who has always been eager to attend the study center. She is a live wire who is always bubbling with enthusiasm! She is very sociable and enjoys sharing her toys with the other children. She loves playing with colours and enjoys drawing session as well!

Thank you for coming together to provide a year of pre-primary education to Kalimun.