O Kabaadi waale (Listen, Scrap collector)!
“That’s how the people look from their balconies and call my father while he rides his bicycle across the colonies in order to buy scrap for money,” says Samreen.
The 19-year-old Samreen Parveen is one of the two daughters of Mohammad Waris- a scrap collector of West Delhi. With their hand-to-mouth existence, her father manages to pull a limited but unsure income of about ₹ 7000 ($ 98.40/ £ 76.69) per month. Belonging to a poverty-ridden background and economically low strata of the society, Samreen’s father had to migrate from Bihar in search of livelihood. But the decision proved wrong when her father met with an accident which took a toll not only on his health but potential as well.
Like many others, Samreen too survives in Zakhira slum community. The extreme location of the slum along the railway line is too dangerous. It is even more vulnerable for the women living in it. “I grew up listening to accidents that happened in the past. Cases of lost limbs, body parted in two halves, women being kidnapped were a common scenario then,” said Samreen.
She was barely 11 years old when she joined Asha and then there was no turning back. With 73% in her class 12th examination, she secured a seat in the prestigious Delhi University. “From being a part of Asha’s Bal Mandal (Children’s Association) to becoming an Asha ambassador I have walked a long way. Today I am an inspiration to the little girls in my community,” added Samreen.
With the Asha values instilled in Samreen, she takes pride in her father being a scrap collector.
Samreen speaks fluent English, carries herself with confidence, and also is at par with any of her peers. We are very proud that this International Women’s Day she is going to represent Asha at Mazars. Watching her progress, we are sure that Samreen will become a successful Journalist in future and help her family move out of the slum.
We urge all the Asha supporters to come forward and help the bright girls of Asha to achieve their dreams.
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