What is more inspiring than overcoming your struggle? It is the zeal to help others make it through too.
Here are 5 such changemakers who have transformed the lives of girl children in India.
1. IIT-Delhi alumna Surabhi Yadav built Sanjhe Sapne, an NGO that works to educate and integrate rural women into the modern workforce by providing them stable jobs.
Sajhe offers three courses; Umang creates pathways for students to work in NGOs; Arohan offers primary maths education; and Tarang teaches web development.
2. Sisters Sanjoli and Ananya Banerjee began fighting female foeticide from a young age after Sanjoli witnessed their mother being almost forced to abort Ananya.
“We wanted to target young kids in their formative years,” says Sanjoli. In 2019, they started a mobile school named Sushiksha for the kids in the village. The school currently has 80 students.
3. Harshika Singh (IAS, 2012 Batch), a Collector in MP’s Tikamgarh district saw firsthand how women were subjugated due to a lack of education.
She set up Mahila Gyanalaya Vidyalayas (all-women school) for drop-out girls and uneducated women across 35 GPs.
4. Roshni Pradhan runs Unbound Futures Foundation, which empowers under-resourced children and encourages girls to play football.
“Initially, I paid for the training with my savings. After establishing the NGO, we started receiving sponsors. Over 150 students have benefited from full scholarships,” she says.
5. Reeta Kaushik started Samudayik Kalyan Evam Vikas Sansthan (SKVS) which has reached girls in 112 Gram Panchayats across 126 communities in Kushinagar and Gorakhpur.
Since 2013, the organisation has enrolled 15,118 students in mainstream education. Through vocational training, 373 girls are making an income of Rs 3,000-Rs 5,000.