Shakshika

Shakshika, a young girl with a remarkable level of maturity, is eight years old and attending third grade at Avadi Municipality Primary School in Koilpadhagai. She resides with her parents, Rajesh and Lakshmi, both of whom have completed their education up to the 11th grade.

Her father is employed as an air conditioning mechanic, earning a modest income that depends on customer demand for his services. Their financial constraints prevent them from meeting all their needs and desires, including those of their daughter.

The family earns a monthly income of Rs. 10,000, with Shakshika’s mother being a homemaker. She also has a younger brother who attends the same school and is currently in the second grade. Since enrolling in Enlight in 2023, Shakshika has proven to be a polite and disciplined student, achieving success in her academics. She has a keen interest in public speaking, writing, and reading. Additionally, she displays talent in games, which has made her popular among her peers. Shakshika demonstrates understanding of her family’s financial limitations by only requesting essentials when necessary. She also takes on responsibilities, caring for her younger brother and assisting her mother with household chores.

 

The Educational Volunteer overseeing the CSC has been actively involved in monitoring and aiding Shakshika’s progress. Recognizing Shakshika’s speaking abilities, the volunteer began encouraging her to further develop this skill. Shakshika was motivated to engage in activities such as reading newspapers, storybooks, and utilizing online platforms like Google (e.g., Wikipedia, YouTube) to broaden her understanding of leaders and refine her public speaking abilities. Additionally, she received coaching on impromptu speaking and preparing herself for delivering speeches on various topics. With encouragement from the volunteer, Shakshika started participating in competitions. Although her first competition in 2022 presented challenges, it served as a learning experience, and she persevered, continuing to practice under the guidance of the educational volunteer. On July 29, 2023, Shakshika participated in a Tamil speech and drawing contest, earning a special prize for her speech, and securing first place in the drawing category.

The shift from a shy and uninvolved student to a confident public speaker is a result of the educational volunteer noticing Shakshika’s potential at the child support center and providing her with customized exercises and support.