Have you ever felt your heart bursting with pride? I have had such moments, especially when my daughters have done something and the moment marks a passage in time, whether it be the first words, the first steps, or the first day in school.

Recently, I had another such moment that made me happy, proud, and a little teary too…and it had nothing to do with my girls but all to do with Broja Acharya, a graduated youth of our sponsorship program.

So who is Broja? He is a young guy who wears many hats. He is a former sponsored youth from a village in rural West Bengal, he is someone who dreams of opening his own café someday, he is someone who has formed an alumni association of former sponsored youth who are now employed, and he is also a manager of a Café Coffee Day (Starbucks equivalent in India with over 900 outlets). He is also someone who is not afraid of challenges.

Broja lives with his parents and six siblings in a mud house in his village and commutes by train to his outlet of Café Coffee Day (CCD) every day, for six days a week and puts in a 10 hour shift every day so that by the end of this year he can build his parents a new home. For me meeting and talking to Broja was an unexpected treat because he is one of those people who exude strength and diligence and who also knows that there are obstacles in life, but hard work is the road to success.

He told me that his journey to Kolkata starts at 8 in the morning and he can be found in front of his outlet sharp at 11am, helping the three guys who work under him open and set up shop. From then on till almost 10pm at night he caters to the needs of a steady stream of customers who walk into the Café, always on his feet and always with a smile. Broja also told me that when he first joined CCD in 2005 he had to face snide remarks of his slick city counterparts, because of his country ways and speech. They would also jeer his lack of knowledge of coffee latté, or cappuccino and the fact that he would stand out like a sore thumb. But he did not let these obstacles get in his way, and today after five years, through sheer grit and determination has become a self-assured young man, who handles his jobs with élan. And his greatest regret is that this job leaves him with very little time to continue organizing training camps in the villages following the leadership training guidelines that he had received as a youth.

His favorite pastime is meeting with the alumni members who are all former sponsored kids like him once a month and planning on how to help those who need help the most in their respective communities. As all these young people belonging to the alumni association are employed they have setup a fund towards this cause. Hearing this piece of news I felt that these young men and women like Broja are indeed living examples of the sponsorship program that transform young children into healthy, educated, self reliant and responsible young adults with caring hearts.