Akanksha Foundation funded Sangamwadi slum girl clears CA final exam

Pune July 23:Hailing from a slum in Sangamwadi 26-year-old Pooja Wagh, daughter of a juice stall owner in Shivajinagar,it was a dream come true as she cleared theChartered accountancy final exam in the first attempt.

Pooja who was helped by  an NGO Akanksha Foundation that works with underprivileged students,credits her success to the support of the NGO and its mentors.

The family of eight who lives in a tiny, rented house  in a slum area .

She isthe first person in her family yo clear her SSC examination.

Her four elder sisters were married off at a young age whereas two younger brothers dropped out of school.

She fought against her parents demand and convinced her father to let her study instead of getting her married at the age of 15.

Belonging to a large family with meagre income, she knew her chances at success were slim if she did not work hard.

She worked  part time to fund her expenses through college .

After completing BCom and MCom, with a distinction and first class, from Marathwada Mitra Mandal’s College of Commerce, mentors at Akanksha Foundation told her about  Chartered Accountancy .

Pooja thanks the Akanksha Foundation ,a second home to her who have extended  help to  study since she was in school.

Despite all the hard work, she was unsure of the results of her toil until the results were announced

Pooja is currently working as an accountant . The young girl hopes to land a corporate job instead of setting up her own practice.

Pooja said that she wanted her family to have a better standard of living. She is remenbered for her mischievous nature by the volunteers of the foundation.

“Pooja has made all of us very proud. She has faced many challenges but never gave up on her dream.”

“Always up to some mischief in class, she was loved by her mentors due to her zest for life. We hope she continues to succeed at everything she does in the future,” , said Chitra Pandit, senior director of Akanksha Foundation.