Our idea? To ensure education is front of mind, we had to put the heroes of education in front of our eyes!

Slums in India have a maze of narrow, crisscrossing streets. And none of them have names! We decided to name these streets, in a very inspiring and motivational way. By recognizing high-achieving kids at the local school, we could make them heroes and role models in the eyes of classmates and parents alike.

Although this event was run over several days in 3 different slums across Mumbai, the ground work started much earlier. The teachers of Door Step School sat together and identified the best academic performers. Another team identified the streets that would be named. Metal road signs were commissioned and permissions were sought from community leaders. The date was fixed and the entire slum community was given advance invitations to the event.

Influential people like famous TV stars, a member of the legislative assembly and a senior member of the children ministry arrived to congratulate the kids and inaugurate the streets. To loud cheers the roads were ‘named’, speeches were made and kids were inspired to stay in school and excel.

We broadcast this across all major social platforms, which, combined with the tremendous coverage we received through community news outlets, meant these high-achieving kids were recognized throughout the land!

The schools got a record 1,213 new enrolments, a 38% increase.

But that wasn’t the only highlight:

Incredibly, the slum community leaders have put together a team of men to protect the street names from being defaced or stolen because they believe that they will bring about a positive change in the slum.

Parents are coming forward to ‘nominate’ their children for future road signs

The idea is going viral. A slum rehabilitation project nearby has borrowed the idea and is executing it completely on their own.

Our innovative event impacted society and brought about true cultural change. The streets named after these role-model kids became permanent reminders and everyday motivators. Education and its importance was once again ingrained in the minds of slum dwellers and children alike.