30/05/2023
(Part 1/2)CEO's Story
" My name is Arun Fernandez and I am a Social Entrepreneur who founded Dlearners, and an initiative for children with learning difficulties. Dlearners is essentially an Edu-Tech platform that helps address issues like Dyslexia.
I founded this organization because of my personal experience as a person with Dyslexia. As is the case with most children with Dyslexia, my journey has been full of ups and downs. I struggle with reading and writing , hated Exams, failed test, and was forced to move to seven different schools. I termed lazy, and an underperformer. My teachers and Classmates never took me serious. My only source of solace was Sports; I was a state level tennis player. Sports was a means of escape for me and the tennis court was the only place where I felt alive and powerful.
My father, who had his own flourishing logistics business, was always disappointed in me as he wanted me to excel in my academics. Despite my sincere and earnest efforts, he always complained that I was not trying hard enough at school.l had very few friends because I was always switching schools. My self confidence took a beating. I was always dejected, I felt misunderstood and felt like I had let my family down. I desperately wanted to be understood and heard. I wanted people to know that I was trying hard to read but was unable to. Unfortunately, my cries remained silent, my cries remained unheard.
Thankfully,my mother had immerse faith in me and was my biggest ally. She appreciated my efforts and sort solution from expert who confirm that I had Dyslexia. I realized then that I was not dumb, I was just different learner. With my mother's encouragement and special educators guidance, I manage to clear my 12th grade successfully and went on to pursue my B.com. from loyala college. I went to Hong Kong for a course and to pursue a career there. However, I always knew that I was not meant for a desk Job. It was my earnest desire for those less fortunate than me. It was in Hong Kong that I discover my interest in social work.
