Educate Her Empower Her

Dear Global Givers,

Here’s an update from our campaign ‘Educate Her Empower Her’; where we are thrilled to report that all 13 girls are doing well and working hard to achieve their dreams and aspirations. 

The girls are regularly attending classes and all of them have enrolled in extracurricular activities. The half-yearly exams will begin on 19th December. The girls are also attending extra classes to help them cope with subjects that they find difficult in comprehending. We are hopeful that these extra classes will help them to do well in their coming exams. 

Maya* is currently preparing for the Indian Civil Service exams which is one of the toughest and most contested exams. She is hard working and diligently studying towards achieving her goal. 

Nita* wants to become a Police Officer. She is training for the physical exam. She also plays kabaddi (an Indian outdoor game).

Kiran* and Suman* have both discovered a newfound interest in cricket. They both got recognition from the school for participating in a tournament.

All 13 girls have made new friends and enjoy participating in various cultural events organized on campus.

According to Sita*, “Humein itni achi opportunity mili hai, gaon mein yeh mauka nahi mil paata” (Here we get a such good opportunity, in the village, this would not have been possible).

The girls are happy to have the full support of the family now who otherwise would have sent them away to engage in sex work or have them married off. Some of the girls were facing difficulty with school expenses but with the support of some additional money, they can now buy books, shoes, and other necessities for their daily usage.  When families visit the girls, they bring delicious home-cooked meals. This is something the girls miss and eagerly and wait for the visiting days.

Jaanvi* is a senior student and also a mentor for the girls. She regularly meets the girls to check on them to see what kind of difficulties or challenges they are facing. 

Our team also visits the students monthly and meets with the Principal, Vice Principal, and Warden to ensure that the girls are doing well and coping with their studies. A meeting was also conducted with all the teachers to ensure that they are sensitive toward the girls and to get general feedback on their performance. The feedback from the teachers was that the girls need to work on their English as the medium of instruction is English. Daily extra classes are being held for the girls to help them learn English.

With many families losing their income amid the Covid-19 pandemic, female students have borne the brunt of disrupted education. This batch of girls is first-generation learners who are studying and have not been engaged in forced commercial sex work. We at iPartner India will focus on empowering girls in India through scholarship programs and providing them with skills to equip their future employment. 

Thank you, Global Givers, by working together, we can make a lasting difference. Your support ensures that these girls can have access to education and are empowered to take informed life decisions.

With deep gratitude,
Team iPartner India

(*all names have been changed to protect the identity of the girls)

Dear Global Givers,

Through your sustained support, we are happy to report that so far 13 girls have been able to get admission to a boarding institute. Initially, the boarding was only open for students in 10th and 12th grade but now the campus has opened up for all students.
 
In July, all 13 scholars left for the boarding school with the blessing of the elders of the village and family. This was an emotional moment as these girls were leaving their homes for the first time. The girls have mixed emotions, sad to leave loved ones back at home yet excited to finally be at the campus they have eagerly waited for. We are extremely proud that the girls have signed up for horse riding classes, swimming, hockey and dance classes. These extracurricular activities will help the girls find their passion and interest in life.

All 13 scholars have been attending classes on a regular basis. Since the institution is an English medium, some of the girls are finding it difficult to understand the English subject. Our team on the ground is in touch with the school administration to see how we can help the girls overcome some of the challenges they are going through. We are also alternately looking for mentors for these girls to help them cope with challenges.
 
The girls are thrilled to be able to get an opportunity to study in a reputed boarding institute. “I am finally seeing how much more opportunities there are after coming out of the village. This would not have been possible for me if I continued to live in the village”  said one of the scholars with a proud smile on her face.

Another scholar says that “now that I have got a chance to study, I will become a role model for other girls in my community.”

These girls stand testimony that if given an opportunity, how lives can turn around and bring change to the entire community.

iPartner India will continue to support more girls in the future, thereby giving these girls a chance in life to pursue their dreams and aspiration. Every girl we support, we are empowering them to further become change agents in their communities and prevent vulnerable girls from trafficking. Our intervention also includes helping the mothers of these girls find alternate livelihood opportunities so that they become economically self-sustained and not find educating their daughters a burden.

STORIES FROM THE GROUND

Maya (name changed) is currently pursuing her final year of college. Her mother works as a sex worker in their village. Maya is determined to complete her education and become a Civil Servant. After joining the boarding, she made friends with girls from various states. Maya is focusing on her studies and preparing for Civil Services (Indian Administrative Services) at the same time. She spends most of her time studying and enjoys going for a walk after meals.

Nita (name changed) is studying in 11th grade. Currently, she is facing difficulty as classes are taught in English. Her teachers are supportive and help her to cope with the courses. She has enrolled in Sanskrit, economics and Kathak (Indian classical dance). Nita wakes up early and goes to the gymnasium. She enjoys sports and has also signed up for swimming and volleyball.
 
Thank you, Global Givers, your support means a lot to these girls and is highly appreciated.

With deep gratitude,
Team iPartner India

Dear Global Givers,
 
We are happy to present an update from our campaign Educate Her Empower Her, a campaign that supports girls’ education. Your support has been crucial in paying the admission cost, boarding and lodging, tuition fee, books, and stationery-related expenses for the ten girls. We started with six girls and today we are extremely proud that ten girls are proving to their community that given a chance, anyone can pursue their dreams. All the girls have been promoted to the next class at the beginning of the new academic session, April 2022-March 2023.
 
The girls are excited as offline classes have finally begun and they will be meeting their online friends for the first time in the school. The girls were surprised to see the size of the campus as have ventured out of their homes for the first time. For many of the girls, they are the first generation to study away from their homes and live in a boarding. Having studied most of their life in a non-English speaking school, the girls are eager to learn English. In addition, the girls will also be provided additional support to learn computers and attend spoken English classes. They will also receive career counselling from time to time to help them decide on their future. The girls have also enrolled for yoga, gym and horse-riding classes at the campus and have been receiving emotional support from their classmates, warden and teachers to adjust to the new environment.
 
Meet Rita (name changed) who is studying in 11th grade. Rita’s mother is a retired sex worker because of which their household income has decreased significantly during the pandemic. Her father does not work and stays at home most of the time. After the pandemic, the family has to face reduced expenditure on health, education, and food. Rita was extremely vulnerable to trafficking, therefore, your timely support has helped her to continue with her education. Rita needs our support to fulfil her dream of becoming a teacher.

Your support is crucial as girls in India continue to remain vulnerable and face the risk of being never sent to school. It is estimated that nearly 10 million secondary school girls in India could drop out of school due to the pandemic, putting them at risk of early marriage, early pregnancy, poverty, and violence.
 
Children in countries such as India are also caught in a vicious cycle of risk: they face greater risks of being forced into child labour, and adolescent girls are especially at risk of gender-based violence, child marriage, and teenage pregnancy, which increases the longer they are out of school. The same risks directly impact their ability to return to school at all. Combined with the sharp decrease in education spending, the COVID-19 outbreak could be a cruel blow for millions of children and girls are likely to be much worse affected than boys, with many forced into early marriage. The ideal preventive measure to save girls from the non-health effects of the pandemic is to continue investing in their education.
 
iPartner India stands committed to ensuring that no girl on our watch is forced to drop out of school. Through Educate Her Empower Her campaign, we will continue to support existing vulnerable girls' education and aim to enrol 15 additional girls by the end of the current academic session.

Thank you, Global Givers for your sustained support to empower girls in India.
 
With deep gratitude,
Team iPartner India

Dear Global Givers,

As the year comes to an end, we hope that you are all doing well and keeping safe. This year has been a great challenge as we continued to witness the surge of COVID-19 and many lives devastated by the pandemic. With educational institutions remaining shut for most of the year, this has impacted many young people on their mental and physical well-being. Our team on the ground has been vigilant and constantly engaged with the girls to provide any support they may require.

We are happy to report that all six girls supported by you are doing fine and coping well with their online classes. We have also shortlisted another four girls to support and enrol into the school as they have been facing challenges to continue their education and post the second wave of the pandemic, the pressure on these girls has increased to support their families from earning through sex work. The six enrolled girls have been attending regular online classes and have even completed their unit tests in the current academic year. They have all performed well. They may be able to physically attend classes by January 2021. The scholars are determined to do extremely well in their exams and are looking forward to offline classes so that they can meet their classmates in person. Not having access to mobile phones was a major challenge for them as they couldn't attend online classes regularly however support was provided to them to purchase phones and mobile data. This was supplemented with tuition classes which continue to date. Some scholars are also attending a python course to build their technical skills. This will further aid in their future careers. For iPartner India, it is a massive milestone. It took the team numerous meetings and sessions to convince the families to let their daughters continue with their education.

Your support saved these minor girls from forced sex work and ensured that these girls remained in school to continue with their education. Many girls in India dropped out of school as parents lost their livelihood and could not afford digital devices to let their children continue with online classes. These girls are a beacon of hope in their villages and are inspiring other girls to pursue education. We are hopeful that they become role models for the other girls and take a stand to break free from inter-generational sex work.

Here is a story of courage and hope.

Meet Meena*, a grade 10 student and one of the girls supported by you. She lost her mother, a former sex worker to HIV when she was young. Her mother’s death traumatized her as her mother was her only source of inspiration and the only one in her family who pushed for her education. She has four siblings, two sisters, and two brothers. Her elder sister was keen to pursue her education but by age 14, she was sent for commercial sex work. Her elder brother has been struggling with drug abuse and is dependent on his sisters. Meena’s eldest sister is the only earning member in her family. The sister lives in Mumbai and used to send the younger siblings money to run the household. Meena and her siblings live with her aunt. Initially, Meena’s family was not keen on allowing her to pursue her education, but after numerous discussions, her family finally agreed to allow her to study. In 2021, her sister stopped sending money to her siblings as she wasn’t making enough due to the pandemic. Currently, there is immense pressure on Meena to take up commercial sex work to support her family. Her family members have been supported with livelihood based interventions and are a part of the various groups under Rakshan. Meena started her journey as a Rakshan scholar in 2020 where she joined in grade 9. She passed her annual exams for grade 9 with first division (539 marks out of 800). Meena was provided with a mobile phone to help her attend online classes. She wishes to go to the hostel to continue with her studies as she feels that the environment in her village is not very encouraging. In her recent unit test, she scored 57 out of a total of 80 marks. She has improved her performance in Math, Social Science, English, and Sanskrit. She has been inspiring other girls in her village to continue with their education. She even organises small group meetings for interested girls and provides them with guidance and support. The team has also observed that she has become more confident and is determined to change her future.

“I want to become a police officer and would like to work to end violence against women from my community. I never thought that girls like me could ever study in a premier institute, especially after the death of my mother. This is just the beginning of my journey” – Meena

Thank you, Global Givers, we wish you all a very Happy Holidays and we look forward to your continued support in the coming years.

 With deep gratitude,

Team iPartner India

*Name changed to protect the identity of the girl.