Sabreena is the first of her family to go to college and loves nothing more than her studies. After being orphaned at a young age Sabreena’s mother was helpless and almost pulled her out of school, Sabreena was devastated by this news as her thirst to learn was her first and foremost priority and Sabreena’s passion for reading was far more prominent than any other student in her class.

When we asked Sabreena how important education was to her, she replied by saying:

“Education is important to all. There is no rehabilitation other than the educational rehabilitation for a destitute orphan”.

For a young girl living in one of the poorest states in India, where society discourages them from studying and becoming independent women, leaving her education was not an option. We asked Sabreena why? Her response we did not expect:

“Education is very important to me. What else can a girl from a headless family do without education. It is very important to me”.

Sabreena explained she was already trying to cope with the loss of her father and the thought of trading her books for chores and not going to school was agonising.

Now, thanks to sponsorship from Orphans in Need, all of this has changed…

Thankfully Sabreena’s talent was noticed by Orphans in Need and in 2011 she joined our sponsorship programme. With Sabreena already so ambitious and with the support of her sponsorship she no longer has the stress of funding her education. Sabreena has the ambition and drive to do better and she is determined to make it to university. From the moment her sponsorship began when she was in grade 7, Sabreena was achieving high marks getting distinctions in both grades 10 and 12 and made it to the 3rd semester of college. Sabreena wants to pursue a career in English Literature getting a degree from a distinguished university and even a master’s degree in English. Sabreena’s dream is to become a teacher so as she can educate the next generation of girls hoping to change the mind-set of those who do not understand the importance of an amazing education.

When we asked Sabreena what she would tell her younger self she said she always reminds herself to

“Work hard. There is no one to take your full burden on his shoulders. It is only you and you, not even your mother.”