Deepak, an extraordinary boy
Last month I was ecstatic about the academic achievements of the children in our middle and secondary schools. Whilst they have all done well for children from such poor backgrounds, one amongst them deserves special praise. Deepak Kumar was born into a large family  and contracted polio when he was very young which left him with seriously deformed legs, of a type that you see on those children begging every day on the streets of Delhi. With this disability, Deepak was never likely to find a job that would support him, but he had the gift of a brain and was prepared to work. He joined Project Mala Guria Primary School in 2006. In 2009 he was one of only 120 who won a place in one of our middle schools and then in 2012 he was successful to become one of the elite 30 children selected to attend our secondary school.
He has now qualified for a place in Kanpur Polytechnic to study civil engineering. Kanpur is one of the top polytechnic colleges in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, so the competition for places is fierce. This is a great achievement, but even more special for Deepak, as in the last year he has spent weeks away from school having corrective surgery to both his legs. Today he can walk and stand on his own and looks forward to joining the Kanpur Polytechnic, where he will meet up with another Project Mala student, Anand, who also won a place. Eventually, with his dedication to study, Deepak should obtain a degree in civil engineering so he can get a good job and help to support his family.
We are so grateful to the Narayan Seva Sansthan Hospital for carrying out the corrective surgery free of charge and also to his sponsor, Jane, who supported us throughout his education in Project Mala to allow Deepak to make the most of his obvious academic ability.
 | | Deepak with his father in front of their house |
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Robin Garland
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