Manju Kadlak: A Journey from Hardship to Literacy

Manju Kadlak lives in a small village named Kanhewadi situated in Khed block. Her life is full of daily struggle.

Manju cooks rice at a Govt. school in her village as part of the mid day meal program. She is also having the responsibility to clean the school premise. Along with this she sometimes works on farms as a daily wage laborer. She is always ready to accept any work she came across.

Her only dream is to give her son a good education—something she never had the chance to get herself. Manju’s childhood was full of hardship. Her parents were very poor to support her education. She was married off at a young age. After few years later her husband passed away and she had to take the whole responsibility of raising her child.

A Turning Point with URMEE

Despite all the challenges, Manju always had a desire to learn. It’s a turning point in her life when URMEE NGO started an LaaS program in her village. Urmee, recognizing the deep-seated need for education among adults in the village, established an adult literacy Batch in Kanhewadi Gaon. This program is a hope to many people who had missed out the education, including Manju.

With courage and determination, Manju enrolled herself for the LaaS class. Initially it was challenging. But slowly, with the help of dedicated instructors called Preraks and the supportive environment encouraged by URMEE team, she started to learn. She began recognizing letters, forming words, and writing simple sentences. For the first time in her life, she could read and understand things on her own efforts.

Empowerment Through Literacy

Today, Manju can read, write and even fill out bank forms—a task that once seemed difficult. This opportunity also gave a chance to the women to experience their childhood again. They studied, played games and learned together with joy.

Manju’s story is a motivation for many. It shows the power of education and proves that it’s never too late to learn. Her journey is a reminder that with the determination and support anything is possible.

Prerak’s Note

Manju’s thoughts have been written by our Prerak as below—

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