As cliché as it sounds, there came a time in my life when I thought I’d never finish school. Funds were low, my mother was the sole provider for the family, and I had a younger sister who was getting through secondary school.
At some point I used to think of dropping out. But today I am armed with a university degree, ready to take the world on. And it is at this point that I offer my gratitude to the Sikh Welfare Council.
The organization has assisted my family for the past 8 years in various ways from financial assistance, monthly groceries to moral and emotional support, from tuition during my A Levels, and finally to pay fees for a semester or two during university. The Council was ready to help us whenever the need arose, to the best of its ability. And although it felt awkward to approach someone else for help outside the domestic sphere, it has proven to be a wiser choice instead of wallowing in almost self-destructive pride.
After all, life is about ups and downs. With every setting sun comes darkness no doubt, but the sun comes up again. Mine is rising, thanks to the Sikh Welfare Council.
Article by Sikh graduate, 2008.