“My parents spent their entire lives working to pay off their loans. Since their only aim was to survive, they did not even have the time to think of the future. In midst of this environment, it was difficult to think about education. Despite this, I finished my 12th Grade. But my school life wasn’t all…
A MOTHER HELPS HER DAUGHTER GET BACK ON HER FEET
50-year old Saroj works as a help in a private school in Ajmer district of Rajasthan. Although content with her job, she always wanted a better future for her daughter, Kalpana. However, it seemed like a distant dream when her husband decided to get their daughter married after she flunked her 10th Grade examinations. Saroj…
KAILASH MAKES HIS FATHER PROUD BY BRINGING GIRLS BACK TO SCHOOL
23-year old Kailash is 3rd child among 5 siblings living in a village in the Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh. He is currently doing his Bachelor’s and aims to become a lawyer in future. He spent most of his time with his friends after college and was unaware about the urgency of educating girls in…
A MISTAKEN BELIEF HAD KEPT KHUSHBU AWAY FROM SCHOOL FOR THREE YEARS
Khushbu* lives in a remote village in Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh. Eight siblings, and parents and grandparents make up this big family. Khushbu is the youngest child and is the centre of the entire family’s attention, she is also the luckiest because she is the only child who has had the opportunity to attend…
EDUCATING THE MOST MARGINALISED GIRLS IN INDIA: IT TAKES A COMMUNITY
This story depicts the hardships that Educate Girls’ frontline workers endure to ensure that no girl in their village is left behind. Satish Yadav (23) who works with Educate Girls as a Field Coordinator looks after the implementation of the core programme in eight villages of Khandwa district (in Madhya Pradesh), instructing village-based volunteers there….
AN INFORMED-DECISION HELPS LALI ENTER THE SCHOOL FOR THE FIRST TIME
10-year old Lali had never imagined that she would go to school one day. Her parents hail from a village in the Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh. Lali was only 5 -years old when her parents migrated to the state of Gujarat for better employment opportunities. When Lali’s parents and elder brother went to do…
PRIYA IS THANKFUL THAT HER FAMILY RESCUED HER BEFORE IT WAS TOO LATE
Priya was married at age 18 to a man that was 20 years her senior. Her family had saved up during her growing years to be able to provide a dowry that would be enough for a suitable husband, but still had to take out a loan to pay for the lavish gifts that Priya’s…
IF MY PARENTS AND I HAD BEEN MORE AWARE OF OUR RIGHTS, WE WOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN THE ABUSE AS WE DID
Padma is 21 years old. She was married in the 8th standard. Her father refused to send her to live with her marital family until she finished the school year, but her in-laws were persistent. She was eventually pulled from school and sent to live in her marital home. At first, she was adjusting and…
