This week we present you three more great individual stories from the CORP Children with Disabilities Program in Dharavi.

My name is Ram and I’m nine. My father works as a helper in Plasticware Manufacturing Company. Also, during his spare time, he sells vegetables at the market. Due to financial constraints, it is difficult to make ends meet. My mother is hardworking and takes care of me and my twin brother Shyam. We stay in a rented house. Sadly, I have multiple deformities and I was born with a slight mental deficiency. Also, I am spastic from below the waist. However, after I underwent tongue surgery, I can speak sparingly and thank to therapy I am able to move my limbs! Now I am attending a Special School and I am progressing in my studies, this really gives me a strong motivation to keep working hard!

I was born with a physical disability that did not allow me to walk, and since my father died when I was young and my family is poor I thought I had no chances to change my life. However, thank to the operation performed to my feet and financed by CORP I can now walk, even though with calipers. This has given me enough strength and will to believe in myself that I have sat and passed my TYBCom Exam and I found a job in a call centre. It’s like climbing the ladder to success!!! Together with my happiness there is also that of my family, overjoyed for my success since they never dreamt of me achieving so much in spite of all the difficulties I have had to face.

I am a physically challenged boy and not being able to walk has prevented me from doing many things, this made me feel different and took away all my motivation to work in order to build a better future. Then CORP provided me with calipers and this has changed my life and my goals: now I can walk and I have also managed to go back to my studies and complete them, I also took a training course and passed the BscIT Exam. I like IT so much that I am currently doing a Graphic and Web Design and PHP course and I hope to be able to find good job in the future. Right now I can say that my experience has taught me a lot and I hope it will be useful to someone else one day.