Educate Her, Make Her Independent

In a world where most would lose hope, Sachi*, at just 8 years old, possesses wisdom and vision that defy her age. Despite physical challenges that would daunt even the most resolute, she clings to her dreams with unwavering determination.

Sachi was born with a disability; her hands and legs were affected from birth. Daily life tasks that many take for granted present her with difficult hurdles. Yet, she continues to work hard to overcome these obstacles.

Residing in a small village in the Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh, Sachi hails from an area where resources are scarce, and families frequently migrate to Nepal for work. Education becomes a distant dream for the children of this village, who often accompany their parents or remain without formal schooling.

In Sachi's family, the burden of responsibility intensified when her mother passed away during her childhood. Sachi says, "When I was younger, I was very shattered due to the death of my mother, and I was not able to understand anything. Then my father explained and consoled me a lot. He shared that there are ups and downs in life. But looking back will only bring sadness. After that day, I have never looked back in my life."

Her father, Arvind, works as a labourer and tailor, often traveling to Nepal for tailoring work. Sachi, as the eldest child, shoulders a significant load. This included taking care of her younger brother. Despite the adversities life threw at her, Sachi was determined to receive a quality education. Her father's earnings supported the family of four, and financial constraints made pursuing education challenging.

As time passed, Educate Girls emerged as a ray of hope in Sachi's life. Educate Girls’ Team Balika volunteer and Field Coordinator learned of her situation, visited her home, and tried to convince her father to allow Sachi to attend school. Her father, deeply concerned about her physical limitations and the responsibilities she bore at home, hesitated.

Educate Girls' relentless efforts did not go in vain. Their workers visited her family daily, delving into the complexities of their situation. Finally, her father gave his consent for Sachi's enrolment. Educate Girls facilitated the necessary documentation and successfully enrolled her in Class 1!

Today, she is an inspiration, proving that with the right support and determination, even the greatest challenges can be overcome.

*Name changed to protect the identity of the minor.

Two sisters' resilient journey towards education

This is the story of two sisters, Nazia* and Sadia*, living in a small village in the Bhadohi District of Uttar Pradesh, India. Their father is a daily wage labourer who lives in Mumbai to earn a living for his family and their mother suffers from a mental illness, restricting her to their house in the village. They have a younger brother who is six years old. This small family is predominantly cared for by Nazia and Sadia even though they are not more than eight and nine-years-old themselves. All the responsibilities of the house and the care of their brother and mother fall on the two daughters. Nazia is the eldest of the siblings and Sadia is a year younger than her. Neither of the girls had ever been to school before.

All this was discovered by Renu, an Educate Girls’ Team Balika volunteer, when she was conducting a door-to-door survey in the village to identify girls not going to school along with the organisation’s Field Coordinator. Renu says, “When I went to Nazia and Sadia's house, the first person I met was their mother. When I spoke to her, I realised that she was in no condition to give me any information about the girls. Then I talked to Nazia and Sadia, and I asked them if there was any other grown-up living with them like a grandparent or an aunt or uncle. That was when Nazia told me that their father lived in Mumbai and that her grandparents do not live with them. Their situation was heartbreaking."

Here were two very young girls who were taking on the responsibilities of adults, running an entire household and taking care of the family members all on their own. Renu asked Nazia and Sadia if they wanted to study and go to school. They said they wanted to study but no one in the extended family helps them because of their mother’s condition. Their mother cannot go to school with them and their father is never available to fill out the necessary paperwork to enrol them. They were also under the impression that they needed money to get enrolled and they couldn’t afford it. “We don't even have any documents. Who will help us?" says Nazia.

Their plight made her very emotional. She couldn’t believe how alone and vulnerable the girls were. She made the decision to do whatever it took to get them enrolled in school. She met Manikchand, the Principal of the village school. He was informed about the family’s condition. Then he told Renu, “Bring the children to school. We will enrol them only after meeting them”. Due to the non-completion of the documents that Nazia and Sadia needed to get enrolled, they faced a few challenges. Renu then met Monish, a village influencer to get his cooperation to complete the documentation process. His help led to the enrolment of Nazia and Sadia in the school and they were finally enrolled in school!

Today, Nazia and Sadia complete all their household chores and then head to school. They don’t miss a single day of school. Both sisters are eager to learn everything that they can and dream of growing up to become teachers so that they can provide an education to underprivileged children.

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