Empower girls like Priti in slums in Pune, India

Interview with Karunaprabha, project leader - whose life parallels that of the girls that she works with.  Background Karunaprabha is 47-years old.  She grew up in a village called Kanyashala.  She is the middle child of 6 siblings.  When she was 8, her mother died in a rural hospital, 6 months after...

Shilpa Pawale shares her feelings about how the project has impacted on her life; “I am Shilpa, living with one family for domestic work. I don’t have father and my mother is staying far away from me for her job purpose she is also doing daily wages work. Where I stay with family there I do all household...

Recent research by UNICEF verifies how girls in India face a rough deal when compared to boys. Here are some key findings from a recent uncef report -  "Almost 47 percent of the girls in the age group of 11 to 19 years are underweight in India, which is the highest in the world," says the report which considered three...

I came across some insightful information on a UNICEF blog about adolescents in India. Here are some interesting facts from that blog: * India has the highest adolescent population in the world * It is still the case that boys enjoy a higher quality of adolescence than girls * The biggest health problem for Indian female...

Karunaprabha, leader of the project in Pune tells us about the biggest challenges that she and her team have faced when working to empower the girls - Question: What have been the biggest challenges for you in your work? Answer: In the age group that we work with, girls rarely go out of the house- they aren't allowed....

I thought it'd be interesting to get Karunaprabha (the leader of this project in Pune) to share her thoughts about aspects of the project. She kindly answered a series of questions for me, which I'll be sharing with you in the next few weeks!  Question: What do you see as the biggest successes that you have seen in...

A message to you, from Pranali    Name: Pranali Mahendra Khandagale. Education: 10th STD Age: 15 years. My Feelings: Before joining life skill class I was very introverted and shy. I did not feel comfortable to go out of the house and mix with other girls. After joining the class, I...

I read an article recently by UNICEF exactly about Adolescent Girls' Empowerment clubs in India. It made me understand that projects like ours are on the rise and are making real in-roads all throughout India. The article reaffirmed to me that if long-term poverty, inequality and gender discrimination are to be...

When I was in India visiting the project, I got to speak to Shubanghi who has been going to sewing classes run by the project. I was quite amazed by how much impact learning this skill seemed to have had on her life. What remains strong in my mind is her drive and enthusiasm when she spoke about her ideas about...

Jyoti's story shows how this project is slowly but surely creating a new generation of empowered young women -   Jyoti Tusamad, Aged 15 years (participant of Life Skills class) One day Dr. Mune madam came to my house and gave information to my mother about the life skills class and asked her to...

I'm back at the Karuna office now in London and have just managed to go over my notes from my visit to the project. I was lucky enough to meet Sonali and her family at her home and she shared some of her experiences with me. I went with Karunaprabha, the leader of the project - she was very handy as my Hindi is not...

I’ve just got back a few hours ago from my first visit to the project in Vishrantwadi. Wow. Reading about it on paper and seeing it on the ground in action are two very different things. I just wanted to share my feelings, as I’ll write a more detailed report and share the stories of the girls that I met when I...

The reality  know that I take the level of control that I have over my own life for granted. For me, it’s not the absence of options, but having too much choice that’s often the problem. I can find it difficult to imagine what it must be like to feel that you have no choice, to have your future is...

A recent testimonial from Girjia, one of the many girls reaping the benefits of this project: Name: Girjia Hosmani, 22 years old. Community: Burma cell I am Girija staying at Burma cell. My personality is somewhat introverted. I never shared or opened myself up in front of anybody before I joined this life skill class....

Hi, I am very pleased to report that thanks to your generosity, we have now raised over $1,000 for girls living in very difficult circumstances in slums in Pune, Maharashtra, India. Please be assured that your donation is having a dramatic impact. It would not be an overstatement to say that this project is life...

Hi, I am writing to say thanks so much for all your support in allowing this project to go ahead. Your generosity is helping adolescent girls have a voice, gain confidence and escape the poverty of slums in Pune, Maharashtra. Contrary to popular perception, Maharashtra is one of India’s poorest states, behind only...

The following project update is from some of the beneficiaries. It lets us know some of the activities that people have been engaged in and how this has been of help. 1) Testimonial Name of beneficiaries: - Shivani Dhende Name of community: - Shanti Nagar I am a student living in the slum of Shanti Nagar...