Sanju, 18, lives in a village near Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, with her parents and two younger brothers. Her father runs a small grocery shop, which is the family’s main source of income.

On the day of her Grade 12 results, while her friends were busy making college plans, Sanju stared at her marksheet; she had failed in one subject. While she thought about the supplementary exam, one question kept running through her mind, “What next?”

At that time, a Pratham team member was setting up CAMaL Ka Camp—a summer initiative that brings activity-based learning to children in communities to strengthen their math skills, in the village, and was looking for local youth volunteers to support learning activities. Sanju was invited to help children learn through this camp.

She was surprised at first, but said yes with a quiet smile. “It felt like someone believed in me again. I wanted to give it a try," Sanju recalls.

She joined the team and began going door-to-door with the Pratham member to invite children. Soon, the camp started, and children began coming in with excitement.

Every morning, Sanju stood with the children, chalk in hand, confidence on her face. She used stories, drawings, games, and simple materials to make math fun. She had a natural way of engaging every child, making even difficult concepts easy to understand.

Soon, children began calling her “Magic wali Ma'am”. “She makes learning so easy and fun – it feels like magic!" one child said. Her warmth, creativity, and playful teaching style helped turn fear into excitement.

As she taught children, Sanju also started reconnecting with her own dreams. She wanted to become a nurse. A Pratham team member helped her with biology notes and encouraged her to start preparing for her supplementary exam.

Sanju also enrolled in Pratham’s Digital Readiness course through Pratham’s Education for Education (EfE) initiative, where she learned day-to-day digital skills like sending emails, attaching files, and using tools like Google Lens — something she found especially useful.

Today, Sanju is back to studying and continues to teach children in her village. Parents now come to her, asking her to help their children learn.

“I realised failing an exam doesn’t mean I’ve failed in life. With the right support, I could stand back up and start again. This camp gave me confidence, identity, and a reason to believe in my dreams again," she says with a smile.