Kids who grew up in slums, bldg sites set for careers in geoinformatics, CA

Panaji: Until the age of five, Irfan Simphigher never entered a school. He spent his time at the site where his parents worked as construction workers. Thanks to the intervention of good Samaritans volunteering for Hamara School, Irfan, now 25, is looking forward to a career as a chartered accountant.A similar case is that of Diksha Gawas, 21, whose father works as a helper-cum-cook at a small eatery while her mother worked as a maid for most of her life. Diksha has received a scholarship to pursue an MSc in geoinformatics at the University of Mysore, and is looking forward to helping her family of five move out of the single rented room they have lived in all their lives.The intervention in Karishma Suja’s life came at the age of eight when she was living with her grandmother in the slums of Camrabhat while her parents worked as street vendors.Irfan’s life transformed the most drastically, as he completed his articleship at one of the world’s seven big firms. “We moved for a while before my parents began working on a construction site in Panaji when they heard about Mangala Wagle, the founder of Hamara School,” said Irfan. “We knew her as ‘Badi Teacher’.They mainly sifted through the slums and the construction sites to identify children, and many of our neighbours were beneficiaries of Hamara School.

That is how my family learnt of them,” said Irfan.Once under the supervision of the now late ‘Badi Teacher’, there was no looking back. Irfan studied at the govt primary school till Class III. Seeing his potential, he was moved to Mushtifund School, where he scored 73% in Class X and then 89.5% in Class XII. He received tuition up to 5pm each day from Hamara School teachers and volunteers.“Hamara School laid the foundation from which I could start; otherwise, it would have been very difficult to fund such an expensive programme like integrated MCom, which I joined.

The funding for the CA course, the exam for which I will answer in Sep 2026, is also quite high, and I would not have been able to do it without them arranging for a sponsor,” said Irfan, who completed his CA foundation and intermediate levels while still doing his integrated MCom at Dempo College, Cujira.Irfan has now decided to pay back the donor of his CA education as he has started earning after his articleship. “My mother no longer works; we have shifted to Porvorim,” he said, satisfied as the future looks bright after completing one year of articleship with MSKA and Associates and another year with Grant Thornton Bharat.Twenty-one-year-old Karishma initially lived with her paternal grandparents in Mumbai, while her parents sold toys and balloons on the streets of Goa for a living. Karishma’s life took a turn when she came to Goa and lived with her grandmother in the slums of Camrabhat, where Hamara School had already made an impact.“Me and three of my sisters studied at Hamara School eventually. I completed Class II at the govt primary school in St Inez before joining Mushtifund, where I scored 70% in Class X and, after Class XII, did a pre-primary teaching course.

I am working as a tutor and looking forward to a career as a teacher,” said Karishma, who now lives in Old Goa.Diksha also found her way to Goa from Dodamarg after her father landed a job at a small eatery in Panaji. A teacher from Hamara School got in touch with Diksha’s mother while she was working as a maid.“I was six and not going to school when I was taken to Mangala Wagle, who helped admit me to KG 2 at Mushtifund School, eventually joining Don Bosco for Class XI and XII.

I scored 86% in Class X and 79% in Class XII. Hamara School not only covered our tuition fees but also arranged snacks, game activities, and picnics for us. It provided financial support my parents could not afford,” said Diksha, whose older sister completed her BCom and is working as an assistant accountant in a tax consultant firm, with aid from Hamara School as well.After completing her graduation at Govt College, Khandola, she has received sponsorship for her MSc in geoinformatics from the Rotary Club of Panaji. “Without the donors, I would have had to start working after Class X. My dad does not earn more than Rs 15,000 a month; we have to pay rent, plus my mother has to work to cover food expenses,” Diksha said.