Banu Sheikh Safi, a resident of Ravidas Nagar in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, India has crossed many hurdles in her journey of becoming a successful nurse from being a rag picker. Banu lost her father when she was only three years old. With her mother and younger sister Kshama, who was just a year and a half old at the time, she had to start rag picking.

When Banu was three, she lost her father. The tiny tot, instead of playing with toys, had to hold a gunny bag in her hand. On the streets of Yavatmal in Maharashtra, she would walk for hours along with her younger sister and mother to collect rags from gutters and roadside dustbins. After sorting out the rags and other waste materials, they would then sell it to the scrap to dealers to run their house. Despite of all these, she did not ignore her education and with the help of their savings, she studied till Class XII. She then went on to join the Auxiliary Nursing and Midwifery (ANM) course in the Government Medical College, Yavatmal. Banu finished the course and is now working at a public health care center.

Safi’s story is a shining example of how choosing education can alter the course of one’s life. And also having lots of patience, dedication and trusting oneself are the keys to success.