From Nanhi Kali to PT Teacher

Gangamma’s parents were uneducated and had a hand-to-mouth existence, but they always had big dreams for their daughter. And Gangamma persevered. She completed her early schooling in a Government upper primary school close to her home. But unfortunately, it was not a very good school and there weren’t any other schools in her village. So she took a transfer to the Hukumpeta Government high school, that required her to walk for two hours every day through hilly and rocky terrain. For her family who had never been outside the village, Gangamma’s going to another village for studies was a big deal for Gangamma’s family, who themselves had never stepped outside their village.

Sadly, fate had a tragedy in store for the family. When she was in the 8th Std, Gangamma lost her father. Many other girls would have been shattered, but she worked through her sorrow, strengthened her resolve and worked harder towards her goals. Her mother too, stood by her and started working as daily wage labourer to support her education.

Her mother was most relieved when Gangamma became a Nanhi Kali and received the school bag, school supplies and after-school classes, completely free of cost. With the help of the Nanhi Kali Community Associate’s tutoring, Gangamma passed Std 10 and secured admission in the Science stream. She put in a lot of hard work and completed her intermediate studies from the Andhra Pradesh Tribal Welfare Regional Junior college. An ambitious Gangamma enrolled herself into B.Sc but fate again had other plans for her. Lack of financial support, forced her to drop out of degree college and instead take up physical education training in Government College of Physical Education. Not letting this setback faze her, she took the newly found knowledge down a positive path and got her first job as a physical education trainer. Today, she works as a physical education teacher in Pedagaruvu in Araku. She monitors diets and physical activities of her students every day and guides them to achieve good health. It pleases her to see young girls in Std 1 getting support from Project Nanhi Kali. She believes that the younger the girls are when they become a Nanhi Kali, the better, as they can stay interested in education for longer and get the right guidance. Gratitude towards her mother, who worked very hard to pay her college fees, keeps her motivated to make the most of every opportunity.

It was Project Nanhi Kali’s support and her parents will, that helped Gangamma battle whatever life threw her way. With passion and determination, she rose above all tides.