Ezhilarasan is only 10, but he has become an embodiment of courage and determination for Sankarapuram’s villagers.
Ezhilarasan lost his mother when he was only 1. Abandoned by his father, he was left in the care of his grandmother. They now live in a house overhanging the village of Sankarapuram, without running water or electricity. Belonging to the Irula community, whose traditional activity is to catch snakes, they live outside the village. To feed her family, Kanaga, his 65-year-old grandmother, must have two jobs: stonecutter and cleaning lady at school.
One day, doctors diagnosed him as suffering from a hole in his heart and recommended immediate surgery, which the family could not finance alone. Our local partner, Hand in Hand Tamil Nadu, then stepped in, and Ezhilarasan could quickly be operated on.
Once recovered, Ezhilarasan could go back to school and thus find his smile again. Today, he displays much motivation and his teachers encourage his efforts. His teacher, Sujatha, says “he is good at mathematics and Tamil, but he needs improving his English”. His social studies teacher, K.S. Shanti, even adds: “He is much more mature than his schoolmates, he displays much practical intelligence”. One day, Ezhilarasan would like to become a teacher and thus “a role model for the others”.
However, his grandmother remains concerned about his future, since they do not own the house in which they live. She is afraid of not being able to provide for Ezhilarasan and his brother.
In order that Ezhilarasan can continue to go to school and thus fulfil his dream, Humanium makes sure he enjoys the proper medical care he needs to recover and the same chances as all the other children in his village.
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