Name: Anisha Tarachand     Class: IX
Anisha is from a little village called Buteri in Rajasthan, a state in the North Western part of India. Her parents    are illiterate laborers who migrated to Delhi. Anisha is the only girl child in her family. She has five brothers, three older and two younger. None of her older brothers even made it through primary school. The eldest is a mechanic’s apprentice, the other two are busy doing their father’s work: manually pulling rickshaws (carts made to sit people), as the father is given to drinking and is most often not sober enough to do his work.

Anisha’s mother is a housemaid, but is determined to put at least her last three children successfully through school. She brought Anisha to join the Good Samaritan family as a kindergartener, hoping to give her daughter a better future than what she herself was going through now.

Anisha has done her hardworking mother proud. She has excelled in her studies through the years. The last year she won the Second Prize in her school for Creative Writing.

She is also a very sensitive child who makes it a point to help her mother in all the household chores each day. She has a deep concern for others who suffer like her.

Anisha dreams to soar above her circumstances on the wings of an airplane! She is fascinated by the idea of being a flight attendant one day! Going by her academic records and friendly nature, this may be impossible.

She is so happy she can pursue a dream that many in her locality cannot even think about. As she looks into the future in faith, she sees hope and the love of God’s children that continues to reach out to her.

Name: T. Rahul Tarachand     Class: IX
Rahul is the younger brother of Anisha. Having suffered the same hardships, he is also just as determined, hard working and diligent as Anisha. He also has an equally brilliant academic record, among the top in his class.

Though the parents are unable to help with their studies, the children come to the Good Samaritan School to clarify doubts with the teachers and Anisha helps Rahul out the best that she can.

Rahul has a very different outlook on life than his drunken father and has resolved to live a different life. The trauma of seeing his father coming home drunk and beating up their mother, who struggles to sustain the family, is deeply etched in his mind.

He is so thankful for the wonderful change in his life and the chance to dream of a different one. He says the happiest moment in his life was when he came under the care of “Mummiji” as Ananthi is affectionately called by the children.

He attributes all his success in studies to the prayers that the Lord has answered. He attends the church and youth groups. Rahul’s dream is to be an engineer. He knows that he can with hard work and determination.

Name: Vijay Singh     Class: X
Vijay is the only son of illiterate migrant workers Maan Singh and Vinodhini from Uttar Pradesh, a state adjacent to Delhi. Vijay’s father has been very sick and is not motivated to find employment. It is his mother who keeps the family fed by selling snacks outside schools. This makes her tense and irritable at home. His parents often fight, making him feel very unhappy.

Vijay by nature is a very friendly, cheerful and helpful boy, always showing respect to his elders. He has been working hard to do well in school, so that he can have a better life one day. His dream is to be a Computer Engineer.

Being the only child to his parents, Vijay helps in all the work around the house with cooking, cleaning, fetching drinking water or running errands to the shop. This responsible boy also tutors younger children in his community after school, to supplement the family income.

Please pray for him very specially this year as he will be giving his first Government certified Board examinations at the end of this year.

Name: Shravan Kumar     Class: IX
Seventeen year old Shravan Kumar is now in class IX. He comes from a disturbed home. His father, a plumber, is an a regular drinker and beats up his mother when he comes home. Seeing his father drunk makes this shy boy embarrassed and very sad at heart.

Shravan wants to study and break out of this cycle of poverty. Living in a two room tin roofed house without flowing water, (they even have to use the fields to answer the calls of nature), his dream is to be an architect and build beautiful structures with all amenities!

Shravan has been a part of the Good Samaritan family from the time he started schooling in the Alaknanda Toilet Complex. Shravan has two brothers: one elder and one younger and two younger sisters, all of whom are in school.

Please pray for this boy and his family that they may enter a new future with a new hope.