The study centre at Kalyanpuri is bustling with activity, with teachers and students busy with remedial classes and summer homework. At the centre of this hustle-bustle is young Zaid. For a young boy in class two, Zaid has lived an extremely difficult and tumultuous life. As the child of a cab driver and a vegetable seller, it is hard not to notice that Zaid comes from an impoverished family, where they can barely manage one square meal a day.

The day starts early for Zaid. It begins with him helping his mother out with selling vegetables by the riverside, working under the sweltering heat. To not work is not an option for Zaid, as he needs to help his parents in order to survive the unforgiving realities of urban poverty. After working with his mother, Zaid rushes back home, grabs his school bag and heads to the remedial classes held by Nidhi Foundation at one of their study centres at Kalyanpuri. Not a day goes by when his life leaves his young body exhausted, both mentally and physically.

Despite of his daily struggles, Zaid has shown incredible potential in the classroom, impressing his teachers and mentors with his diligence and respect for education. For him, learning is the only way to improve his life’s circumstances and help his family. He realises that getting an education is the only way he can break the vicious cycle he lives in.

It is heartening to see that despite of being surrounded by constant negativity and despair, his spirit and enthusiasm has not diminished. Zaid is a young boy with big dreams. He wishes to become a police officer when he grows up. It is obvious that his personal circumstances have influenced his future dreams in the most positive way.

His friends and mentors at Nidhi Foundation have played a pivotal role in creating a safe and happy environment for Zaid, where he can dream and reach his true potential.  The classroom is a space where the kids forge friendships and strive to grow together. Children as young as Zaid are incredibly vulnerable to their environment and can easily fall into the cycle of violence and abuse. This is where Nidhi Foundation has successfully intervened in order to give the children the care and attention they deserve.

The organisation has worked with immense efforts towards creating a conducive and healthy environment for the kids through its pilot project of Mission Nutrition and its focus on education. The main focus for the teachers and volunteers at Nidhi Foundation is improving the learning capabilities among its students in order to bring them up to the mainstream. With constant guidance and support, these children have become confident individuals with strong personalities, which will undoubtedly help them in the future. Nidhi Foundation has pioneered the development of young underprivileged students in the urban slums of Kalyanpuri in Delhi. Through its well thought-out programs, the organisation hopes to bring positive change in the lives of countless children like Zaid and give them a fighting chance in this unforgiving world.