A student named Pradip

Today we visited a family who were one of the first families that I sponsored over three years ago. There are three children Parmila, Pradip and Prabhu. Parmila is 11yrs old and in private school and the other two Pradip 16 and Prabhu 8 attend government school. We have just lost Prabhu’s sponsor and I have replaced him with a private school sponsor so he can attend school with his sister. The family is very poor and the father a drunk who does not treat the family well. The real success in this family is Pradip. Two years ago I found out that he had not been attending school for 8 months, he was not sponsored at that time, only the younger two were. I had always liked him and when we visited at that time he was in a sad state. He had not been living at home for the 8 months and was hanging around on the streets and had needle marks on his arm. I had a new sponsor for him but did not know what to do. I emailed the sponsor and he said he wanted to take a chance on him. Two months later when I retured to visit he was seriously ill with gall bladder disease. His sponsor and NEF funded his surgery and when I visited him in hospital he showed a lot of gratitude and within a few weeks he was attending school. Over the last two years it has been touch and go and we thought a few times that he was going to quit school but the sponsor insisted he wanted to keep supporting him. What a good decision that was. When I visited today I was so surprised when I saw him. He was hardly recognizable. A well groomed young man stood before me, smiling and happy to see me. His sponsor had sent some money for me to treat him so I took him shopping. He went straight to the tailors for a new school uniform which I bought but I told him this was treat money not to pay for a uniform. He then picked out some teenage type clothes and a football and an autograph book and I was honoured to be the first to sign it.
I am so happy with Pradip and thankful to his sponsor. I feel a flush of success. If we had not been there for Pradip he would probably be on the streets and a drug addict. We gave him the hope he needed and even if he does not finish school we have changed his life for the better and saved him from the streets. A photo later when it is possible.