Barli Institute for Rural Women - Mona Foundation

Feeling the transformative power of education

Varsha had completed grade 10 and had dropped out of school. She entered the Barli Institute in May 2012. Her training at Barli helped her understand the importance of education and its transformative power. Since 2012 she has passed her 12th grade exams, obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree and currently enrolled in Indore University getting a Master of Arts in Sociology.

Pressure from her family was too great to stay in Indore so she is studying remotely from her village, travelling for her exams. She is a role model for all the girls in her village and is the most educated individual in her family. Even her brothers who had left school are inspired by her strong willpower and determination.

Varsha encourages all children in her village to attend school, to plant trees, to practice cleanliness and to visit the doctor regularly. After returning to her village, Varsha also volunteered as a teacher in a remote tribal village for six months, teaching girls between the ages of 7 to 11. She shared all her learnings of five years in Barli with these young girls - how to read and write, basic mathematics, health, motivational stories and devotional songs.

This experience as a teacher has made Varsha more committed to continue her studies and open her own school someday. Varsha plans to be a registered government teacher after she completes her master's program. 

2018 Highlights

• 235 girls trained in literacy skills (reading, writing in Hindi and simple arithmetical skills), health & hygiene, environmental education, and personal & community development. They were also trained in income generating and vocational skills including: cutting and tailoring, solar food processing, medicinal plants cultivation and management, organic farming. Total up from 218 girls last year.

• A solar-powered water pump has been installed, giving the trainees and their families  first-hand experience and training about saving the environment through solar power for irrigation

• In order to increase the groundwater recharge capacity and to store rainwater, a small pond was made in Barli Institute’s organic farms - 30ft x 60ft x 8 ft deep.

• Visited 25 Bari graduates to see how they have progressed. Most of the trainees are now married and still pursuing stitching and tailoring in their villages, while some have taken up higher education.

• The FLO Women Achiever’s Award for Excellence in Education from FICCI Ladies Organization (FICCI-FLO) Indore Chapter was conferred on Mrs. Tahera Jadhav.

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