Eighteen-year-old A. Nagalakshmi’s mother died as soon as she was born. When her father passed away four years ago, she didn’t know it for months. Her grandmother harassed her and sent her out of the house. She doesn’t know where two of her brothers are. This resilient girl, now living in the shelter for homeless girls of the Chennai Corporation, run by Karunalaya, an NGO that works with street children, on Friday passed the Class XII examinations and will be flying to London next week to take part in the Street Child World Cup 2019.

Like Nagalakshmi, many underprivileged children have passed the Class XII examinations and are excited to step into college. “Life turned around only during the last two years, after I began living in [shelter provided by] Karunalaya. I want to make the best of it and play well in the tournament next week. This is a dream come true for me,” she says.

K. Shalini, also living in the shelter, spent years sleeping alone in a vehicle at night. She flew all the way to Moscow recently to play international football and has now successfully passed the Class XII examinations.

“My stepmother tortured me and wanted to marry me off when I was 13. After many a struggle, I ended up here. Now, my focus will be on education, and I want to become a social worker,” she adds.

Like her, G. Suganya too has had her share of battles after her father deserted her family. Now, she plans to pursue graduation in social work.

‘Miracles do happen’

In Sevalaya, another organisation that helps educate underprivileged children, all 135 students who appeared for the exams cleared them, and S. Madan Kumar, whose parents are engaged in farming in a village near Tiruvallur, has scored 555 out of 600. He is confident of clearing the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test and becoming a doctor some day.

As Nagalakshmi says, “Miracles do happen when you least expect one.”