Narendran, slowly taking in his surroundings, rubs his weary eyes for a moment before recollecting his story. He is admirably calm and collected on the outside; whereas, looking into his eyes, one can see that they are filled with miserable memories.

Several years after Narendran was born, his father fell sick. His father was diagnosed with a kidney problem and had to be hospitalized often. Coming from a family of five, Narendran has two little sisters who look up to him. His mother works for a back-bending 12 hours a day from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Since his mother is exhausted every day after work, Narendran does the entire household chores.

Narendran cried while he spoke of his father. His deepest and most hopeful wish is for his father to become well. Both Narendran and his mother have to take turns bringing his father to the hospital twice a week. Every Saturday, Narendran brings his father to the hospital for treatment to take care of him until it is time to go home. Every morning, Narendran prepares breakfast for the family and helps his sisters get ready for their school. He waits to get ready for school until after his sisters leave. In the evening, he returns to his little sisters smiling ear to ear and spends time with them in their mother’s absence.

Narendran wants to become a police officer; not just a regular officer, but also an officer of the highest rank that he could possibly achieve in the police department. When asked why he chose this dream, he said, “I was once told that I am a deeply compassionate boy by a man, and something sparked inside me making me wonder why not become a police officer and protect my people?! What more can I do for this society than protect it with my will?” He reports that he has been collecting all of the necessary information for achieving this goal.

Even though he is downcast about some elements of life at home, Narendran speaks with hope when he mentions his father. He swears that he will achieve something great to make his family proud, and he thanks our HoPE Learning Center for all the support he has gotten so far. He says that he draws strength and hope by spending time with his friends and teachers who encourage and help him plan for his future life.