Empower Girls from Mumbai's Red Light Area

It's been Graduation time at Kranti! With so many of our girls away in schools and colleges, we get to celebrate a lot of graduations this time every year!

• Krantikari Sandhya graduated from Ashoka University, New Delhi, with a Bachelors in Science, Majoring in Psychology, with Honours!
• Krantikari Danish graduated from North Park University, Chicago. She will be starting her Masters in Clinical Counseling this fall, while simultaneously, interning as a Clinical Research Assistant at Northstar Wellness, Chicago.
• Krantikari Pooja, our newest Krantikari, who has been with us for less than 2 years, graduated from Grade - 10. With years of her education missed out, she had a lot of catching up to do, but worked very hard and passed her exams in the first go!

There are also Krantikaris who did not graduate this year, because they couldn't pass a couple of papers. We think it's equally important to mention them, as the ones who did graduate, because some times, in our celebratory mood, we overlook the incredible hardships the Krantikaris have to go through, both in fighting the social stereotypes against them, and their own internal struggle to heal. But Kranti is about getting another chance, and trying again, so that's the path we are on now!

We have always wanted to more work with the mothers of the Krantikaris, many of them still sex workers in the Red Light Area. In the last few months we collaborated with some incredible art therapists, like Girija Hariharah and Anil Jha, body movement therapists, theater therapists like Jaimala Iyer, and hosted a series of workshops in the Red Light Area in Mumbai, with sex workers. It was a powerful experience of healing and transformation for all of us and we wish to continue doing these workshops!

Links:

• Krantikari Taniya's Interview with WitChat