Empowering 200 Girl Leaders in India

Dear Supporter,

We are delighted to share a few stories of change where the girl leaders that we support from our current cohort (2022-2023) have broken the stereotypical perceptions of girls in the community, taking to and succeeding in sports that have typically been considered the domain of boys and men.

16-year-old Sahita, belongs to a conservative community near Rajghat in Varanasi, which is a semi urban area in transition - developing in a few areas but with patriarchal mindsets and attitudes towards girls.

Sahita’s father works in a restaurant and her mother is a homemaker. She derives motivation from her parents, especially her mother. Since childhood, her mother has been telling her stories of Varanasi to inspire her to carve her own niche in the community.

Currently studying in 9th grade and inspired by her seniors, particularly the boys in the school, Sahita too aspired to make a career in sports zeroing in on weightlifting as the sport of her choice.

“I always wanted to encourage other girls to be passionate and educate themselves as much as they can so that they can be self-reliant and build the movement to empower girls. The Girl Icon Program has given me this opportunity.”

Sahita often had second thoughts about her choice of ‘Weightlifting’ as her career and the hindrance it often caused to her studies but her mother’s motivation gave her the conviction to continue on her path. Interactions with the Milaan team and the training imparted to her, during her leadership journey with the Girl Icon Program, gave  her the space to share her struggles as well her achievements with other girls as well, showing them the path to success.

Sahita also shared that the  i-Prep App introduced by Milaan for the Girl Icons has made her life easy by helping her cover up whatever she would miss in school due to her sports practices.

With long days dedicated to practice and hard work, on 14th November 2022, on Children’s Day, Sahita won second prize in the District Weightlifting Championship held in Katesar, Ramnagar, Varanasi. Her achievements did not end here - she was also nominated for the State Level Weightlifting Championship. 

17-year-old Muskaan hails from Ayodhya and belongs to an economically and socially backward family. Muskaan lives with her parents, 2 younger sisters (7th and 8th graders) and 1 younger brother (in 2nd grade). She is now pursuing a Bachelors in Science and is passionate about building her career in cricket. 

In 2020, her father met with an accident and lost his hand, due to which her family faced acute economic and emotional trauma as he could no longer perform even the most basic chores on their agricultural land, forcing Muskaan and her mother to work and earn money for a living. Her mother now works in other farms in her village as a daily wager.

Muskaan is the first girl from her community to play or participate in sports at the village or district level and faced initial criticism from the community on her choice of cricket as a career.  This bothered her initially but once she joined Milaan’s Girl Icon Program, she understood that everyone had the right to follow their passion and choose their careers, irrespective of their gender. On 18th November 2022, Muskaan and her team won the District Level Tournament in Women’s Cricket and this led to a lot of appreciation from the same community that was earlier critical of her choice.

“The Girl Icon Program has given me the chance to empower and lead the other girls as much as possible and has helped me choose the correct path by providing me with the required knowledge about my rights and choices.”

Several of the Girl Icons we have worked with are changing these stereotypical perceptions of what girls can and should do with the prevalent patriarchal norms. However, as they proceed on their journey as Girl Icons they become aware of their rights and are able to make informed choices that help them unlock their full potential.