Educate Her, Make Her Independent

Esha overcomes hurdles to return to school!

Esha* is a bright young girl from a rural, remote village in Uttar Pradesh. Her parents struggle to find steady employment, and her household’s financial condition is difficult. Esha's father's poor health is adding to their financial burden. Her mother takes care of her husband and looks for menial work in the community to provide for her family. With the adults always preoccupied, the bulk of household chores falls on Esha. When the family’s financial condition worsened, Esha’s education was discontinued. She was in 4th Grade then.

Educate Girls’ Field Coordinator Gyan Prakash came across Esha during a door-to-door survey in Esha's village. Several attempts were made to enrol Esha back into school, but her parents always resisted stating monetary difficulties. 

Realising that Esha’s parents needed more persuasion, Gyan, along with Educate Girls’ Team Balika volunteer Rahul and the Sarpanch (Village head), visited Esha’s house to counsel the family. He told them, “Today if you send your daughter to school, your future generations will not get stuck in this vicious cycle of poverty. They will have better opportunities. Sending her to school will not cost you.”

Understanding the truth in Gyan’s words, Esha’s parents, with Gyan's help, enrolled her in 7th Grade at the nearby government school. 

Today, Esha is happy and enjoys going to school every day. She says, “With the support of Educate Girls, I got a chance to go to school again. I want to become a teacher when I grow up so I can help the children of my village get educated. This way, all the children of my village can fulfil their dreams.”