Anup* and his family have called the slums in inner city Hyderabad home for his entire life. His mom and dad are rag pickers – they collect discarded goods and then sort to find remnants worth selling for income. For a long while, Anup has struggled with his academics, not giving a lot of energy to his studies. After taking his 10th-grade exam for the first time, he failed and wanted to give up.  

“We asked him to consider taking the exam again, offering to help him prepare for it, because we knew he had dreams that schooling would help him accomplish,” shared Goldie, Back2Back India Director.

Anup took their offer, diligently studying daily as he prepared for the exam, and he ultimately passed! For the past three months, Anup has taken this newfound dedication and success and put it towards his own goals – creating animation and multimedia pieces.  He is currently doing video and photo work for Back2Back and has remained hopeful that his growth would encourage his family to consider a different way of living, too.

Today, Anup and his family are living in different ways, accepting the assistance Back2Back offers, and learning how to grow as a family emotionally and socially. Their desire for more has impacted their neighbors and peers, leading to intentional conversations about the changes they’ve made and why they’ve made them.

Anup continues to learn about video and animation and has specifically informed Goldie that his greatest goal is to learn so he can give back to them for all they’ve helped him accomplish. This is the power of advocacy and safe adults stepping into difficult situations for students and families alike – potential is fostered, and dreams begin to come true.