“I used to collect garbage with my family. I did not think I would ever go to school, and now, I dream to become an IAS officer,” says Aavula Deva Kumari, a 14-year-old student.

At a traffic signal in Kukatpally, Hyderabad, a young girl holds her hand for change. Nearby, a boy sells flowers to passing motorists. For these children, school is not just a distant dream but an unachievable aspiration.

Yet, just a few steps away from the traffic signal, in a small and brightly painted classroom, something different is taking place. Children who were once destined for the streets are now learning to read, write, recite poetry, solve sums, and most importantly, dream.

This is the story of Chotuu Ki Education (CKE), an organisation working to improve the lives of children living on the streets by giving them an opportunity to learn and grow through education.

Women who made education a reality for these kids

In 2016, Yuvaneshwari Kanagasabapathy, affectionately known as Yuva, had just moved to Hyderabad for her job in pharmaceutical research. Yet her mind was never far from social causes. During her postgraduate studies in Chennai, she had volunteered extensively at orphanages and shelter homes, mentoring children who had little access to quality education.

“I started by teaching science to a handful of children in an NGO,” she tells The Better India. “Slowly, I took on more responsibilities and realised how education could bridge social inequalities.”

When Yuva settled in Hyderabad, she encountered children begging on street corners and signals. While many walked past, she sought out NGOs that worked with such communities. To her surprise, she found very few focused on educating the children of beggars in this area.

Meanwhile, Ramana Madhavi Sankara, originally from Guntur and currently working at Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, was on a personal journey to find her sense of purpose. She came from a family of doctors who had long been organising free medical camps for underprivileged communities. Growing up, she often visited underprivileged schools in Guntur, witnessing firsthand the struggles and barriers faced by children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Despite this connection, she felt unsure about how she could make a difference, especially when it came to working with children.

“My family’s commitment to helping others motivated me greatly, but I did not quite know where to begin,” she reflects thoughtfully.

Their paths crossed serendipitously at a Women’s Day event at their workplace. Hearing of Madhavi’s interest, Yuva introduced herself and proposed an idea, “What if we started an education programme for these children?”

“We were not even friends then,” Madhavi laughs. “But I said yes immediately. Our hearts were aligned before we even spoke.”

No classrooms, just a handful of children and tutors: The classes went on despite rain or sun

And so, in 2016, on a dusty street corner in Hyderabad, Chotuu Ki Education came to life. It was not an official group initially, just two women working hard to help a community. They started holding classes on weekends for children who had either dropped out of school because of personal situations or had never even been inside a classroom. With immense hope and determination, they began their journey to help these children learn and grow.

With just a handful of children from local slums, the duo kick-started........

© The Better India