More stories to come …

“I am going to start going to school soon!”; exclaims Ritesh excitedly. Ritesh is six years old and lives in Saibabanagar, a low income district in Mumbai. Ritesh’s father does odd jobs while his mother is a housewife. Ritesh attends the Balwadi along with his sister Aanchal.

Since August 2012, Ritesh has been a part of the Pratham Balwadi program which helps preschool children develop good school habits, including physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. The Balwadi provides a safe and fun learning environment for the children to learn the importance of manners and working as a group. A volunteer supervisor trained by Pratham leads young children in memorizing poems, learning stories, and recognizing shapes, colors, and numbers.

When activities in class are over, Ritesh loves to mimic animals. He tells us a story about a rabbit who could not find his way back home, which is fitting as he wants to be a storyteller when he grows up.

Thank you Joher for your generous contribution!!