In the crowded alleys of the Peera Garhi slum community in Delhi, where homes are pieced together with tin sheets and dreams often collapse under the weight of poverty, lives a quiet and resilient girl named Soni. She shares a tiny, broken space with just her mother and father—but the burdens she carries are far heavier than their walls can contain.
Soni was born with weak eyesight. One of her eyes lost vision completely, and now the other is slowly fading due to degeneration caused by high myopia. She’s undergoing treatment at a government hospital, where long waits and limited care are all, she can afford. Even as the world blurs before her eyes, she continues to fight—to study, to hope, to rise.
Her family survives on what her father earns—just about $120 a month from driving an auto-rickshaw. This small income must stretch to cover electricity, food, medical treatment, and daily needs. But it never stretches far enough. They often run out of essentials. In the heat of summer, they sit in a house without a fan or cooler, beneath a roof that leaks and groans.
Inside that home, peace was hard to find. Her grandmother constantly demanded money, blaming Soni’s parents for their poverty. At night, her drunk paternal uncle would return home in a rage—breaking utensils, smashing doors, and terrorizing the household. Soni, a child with books in her lap and fear in her heart, could barely breathe. Her mental health suffered deeply. There was no space to think, to grow, to be a child.
She had been loosely connected to Asha in childhood—but everything changed the day when Asha team visited her home to register her for Class 11.
That moment was the beginning of a new life.
Soni rejoined the Asha centre. There, she found peace. She found a chair, a table, and a space where no one screamed. She studied under the guidance of Asha Ambassadors—college students from similar slum communities who mentored and prepared her for university. Slowly, her confidence began to bloom.
Her mother saw the transformation. She began encouraging Soni’s visits to the centre and soon joined Asha’s Women’s Group herself. Together, mother and daughter began their journey out of darkness.
Then came the miracle she once thought impossible: Soni secured admission to the Bachelor of Arts in History program at one of the top women’s colleges under Delhi University.
But joy quickly turned into despair—there was no money to pay the admission fees. Her family had nothing left. No savings. No hope of arranging the required amount. Her dream stood at the edge of disappearing.
And once again, Asha stepped in. They paid her college fees in full. Without that support, Soni’s dream would have crumbled before it began.
Today, Soni walks the halls of her college with pride. Her eyesight may be dimming, but her vision has never been brighter. She knows exactly where she is going—and she knows she is not going alone.
