Help Bring 121,000 Girl Children Back to School

58 girl children who were out of school, have been re-enrolled and can now go onto achieving their dreams.

Child marriage is a reality for many young girls in India. Just like Julie (Name changed), hailing from Bansipur, a small village in Bihar.

In Julie’s village, child marriage is not just a practice but a norm. Due to this, she was forced to drop out of school in the 9^th grade. Julie requested her parents to call off the marriage and send her back to school, so that she could fulfill her dreams of becoming a doctor. Unfortunately, this was perceived as rebellion by her family and the villagers. When all hope seemed lost, CRY’s on ground partner who works in that area, stepped in.

The project team worked tirelessly and with great determination to gain the trust of Julie’s family. By discussing the legal implications of child marriage with them and the emotional consequences on Julie – they slowly but surely began to change mindsets. Eventually after considerable time and effort, her parents consented to getting Julie back to school. The wedding was called off, despite strong objections from the villagers.

Julie now is the only college going student in Bansipur and her mother is her biggest supporter. She has become a trendsetter and an inspiration to many children in the village, especially young girls.

YOUR support to global giving has been successful in creating similar stories of hope.

Some of the work that this support has enabled:

• Girls have been motivated to continue to come to school – Often girls in our intervention areas are first time learners and do not receive encouragement and motivation from their families to come to school.
• Schools have proper infrastructure – absence of basic things like safe water, proper toilets, black boards, books, playgrounds and even adequate teachers often act as a deterrent for children to continue their education. Especially for girls, something as simple as the absence of toilets can go a long way towards dropping out, once they hit puberty.
• Girls do not suffer from gender discrimination and child marriage – Marrying off girls at an young age – is still the norm in many communities and by stopping this, we can ensure they continue to go to school.
• Communities, families and children are sensitized on the necessity of education – Often children  - especially girls lose touch with education simply because of lack of awareness. 

Thank you,

Best Regards,

Alaknanda