Support Women & Girls to Become Leaders & Earners

LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

A beehive, a fish farm, and a stage may seem very different, but each offers very special hands-on learning experiences that last a lifetime. Through these diverse experiences this June, our WEP students discovered hidden strengths, built confidence, and began to see new possibilities for their futures.

Beekeeping | Hyderabad Academy: Students from the Hyderabad Academy explored beekeeping as part of a sustainable livelihood initiative focused on ecology, entrepreneurship, and hands-on learning. This special learning experience has turned into an income-generating and environmentally friendly family activity for many of our students. 

When Akshaya first joined the beekeeping training, she admitted she knew nothing about bees and was scared of them. But she kept showing up.

Step by step, she learned how to care of the hives, observe the bees, and understand the natural honeymaking process. Her diligence was worth it; today, she has set up four hives on her own family’s land.

This year, students just like Akshaya have harvested their first batch of honey and began setting up hives on their own family land. One hive alone produced half a kilogram of organic honey!

Fish Farming | Hyderabad Academy: WEP Students went on a three-day learning trip to Kakinada to learn about fish farming, water systems, and coastal ecosystems, many seeing mangroves and the sea for the very first time. At the training ponds, they learned about fish health, water quality, feeding practices, and how tiny fish fry can grow with care and consistency. For Mounika, this learning experience became an inspiration.

“Watching the fish grow made me feel like I can also grow it on my own,” she explained. She is determined to start a small fish pond at home. 

Immersive ECO Trips | Ramnad Academy: 24 students stepped outside the classroom for a full day of environmental learning. They explored waterfalls, islands, villages, dams, and marine ecosystems across Tamil Nadu through immersive educational trips. For many, these were first-time experiences — travelling by boat, exploring marine ecosystems, and learning directly from local communities and nature. They visited Chinna Suruli Falls, Veerapandi Gowmariamman Temple, Kuchanur Saneeswaran Temple, Devadhanapatti village, and Manjalar Dam. At the dam, they learned how water is stored and distributed. In the village, they also spoke with farmers about land, food security, and the challenges of cultivation. 

Equipping Aspiring Entrepreneurs | Madurai and Ramnad Academies: WEP students from Madurai and Ramnad Academies managed live stalls, handled customer interactions, budgeting, pricing, and teamwork through hands-on entrepreneurial experience. Our follow-up financial workshop further encouraged students to learn how to better communicate with clients, promote products for selling, and make more efficient decisions for their own small businesses.

LEADERSHIP, ADVOCACY, & SISTERHOOD

Building leadership starts with helping young women and girls believe that their voices matter. Through community visits, public speaking opportunities, and collective action, WEP students gain the confidence to share their ideas, take initiative, and become changemakers in their own families and local communities. 

WEP students from Hyderabad Academy visited a village in Maharashtra that showed them what collective change can look like. For Bhavani, the visit was deeply moving. She noticed the dignity in the lives of farmers and the way a functioning government hospital served people equally. The experience sparked a quiet but strong desire in the students to take the same spirit of unity back to their own villages. They returned with a new way of thinking about leadership, community responsibility, and what change can look like when people decide to build together.

Across WEP Academies, Women’s Day celebrations gave students a chance to share their voices through storytelling, theatre, poetry, and reflection. For many, it was their first experience speaking or performing publicly, helping build self-confidence. WEP students also joined nearly 300 participants in Madurai for the One Billion Rising campaign, standing together in support of equality and dignity. The experience inspired students to see the power of collective action and their own potential to create positive change in their own communities.