When Laxmi was eight years old she decided to quit studying, like all her older sisters did after they finished primary schooling. Today, Laxmi is not only pursuing higher studies but also tutoring deprived children like her in the recreational classes she attended for many years.
Tul Prashad Chaudhary, 6, was once a severely malnourished and pitifully fragile child. Two years later, he is happy and healthy child, whose parents now know about child nutrition, hygiene and care.
Playing a melodic tune on the basuri sur (local flute), Bikram is transported back to the days when he yearned to supplement his family’s income, not realising how important education was for him. At the age of 12, going to school was not his priority; supporting his father in their ancestral earthen pottery business was all he wanted to do. He did not see the relevance of the classes he attended during the fifth standard in a nearby primary school.
Sanchita, Manahar and Santosh are among the many young students are in the 13-16 year age group of Bode Higher Secondary School who are now open to discussing HIV and AIDS without any reservations and have been the mouthpiece for behavioural change in their communities.