Divya is a 9th grader from Kizhavanam HoPE Learning Center. She goes to a local school and barely able to hold back tears while recounting her story.

Her mother works as a daily laborer in a factory in Ambattur. She earns very low wages. When Divya was seven years old, her father left due to constant problems within the family. Divya and her mother were grief-stricken and were left without support. Divya says that only her mother’s love and determination inspired them to continue lives of dire poverty.

Divya wants to become an IAS officer. Actually, it is not only a want but also a need. She says, “ I need to become an IAS officer so that my father will be proud enough to come back to us and to make sure that my mother never works another day in her life.” She says that once she attains her goal she will make sure to find people with dreams like her’s and help them with her power. She wants to give free education to the children in her village and make sure they reach their goals without any obstacles.

Divya never gets to talk to her mother like other children of her age because her mother works from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM almost every day. Therefore, our HoPE Center is the only place where she has friends, sisters and brothers with whom she shares her thoughts. Divya tells her mother about all the things she learns at school and the HoPE Learning Center. Divya excels in all activities, including: sports, academics, dance and singing. She says, “I can soothe people at their times of trouble and sadness. I can always make them smile.” She believes it is her most positive characteristic.

Divya says that if she could forget one thing about her life it would be the day her father left. She says it is the most tormenting memory. She also says that no one should give up on life because of their current situations, and that they should reach their goals with perseverance and HoPE!