"Growing up on construction sites, I had never been to school till I was nine. It was then that I was approached by a community worker from Sunbeam, an organisation which runs education programmes for children in the slums of Mumbai. Excited about the prospect of stepping into a new environment, I made the most of the opportunity. My teachers enrolled me in a Municipal School and also referred me to Magic Bus. It was like nothing I had ever done before. I particularly enjoyed playing football, being part of a team, and felt that the training brought out the best in me, forcing me to think, and to relate the activities and games to real life situations. Inspired by my own experience, I started teaching my little sisters and other children in the community everything that I had learned. Yet I worried that some day I may have to give up everything. These fears were realised when my parents suddenly announced that I must leave school. Being a girl, they said, I needed to learn household responsibilities, school and sport were of no use. But my determination forced them to give me a chance to follow my dreams. I started to believe that if I made up my mind I could achieve anything, Through the sessions at Magic Bus, I was given an opportunity to meet various people and to visit a lot of places. Earlier I never knew what one does after leaving school but today I dream of becoming a lawyer. Now I am 18, I am reaching the end of my schooling. I have been working as a Peer Leader with Magic Bus, and my parents now take pride in the fact that I am training children from my own community."