The Blossom Bus: Help Rural Girls Get To School!

During the last 12 years of operation, Blossom Bus has become much more than a transportation service. The young women who ride the bus are often the first in their family to reach a high school level of education and demonstrate the tremendous potential of an educated girl as they become models of female mobility and empowerment. Blossom Bus has become a household name in the communities where we work and there is a great shift in the willingness of families to send their daughters to school. By working with families, local schools, and students, Blossom Bus mobilizes communities to come together around protecting the rights and empowerment of women and girls. 

In 2022, Blossom Bus is supporting 689 girls from 37 villages in Haryana and Rajasthan. This year also, Blossom Bus has expanded into Tamil Nadu to provide transportation for 100 students attending our partner Garden of Peace school. Additionally, we are excited to have hired former Blossom Bus graduates to ride on the bus to and from school daily, to monitor and support the current students as they make life changing decisions in their studies and careers. Along with this support, we will also offer career counseling and workshops and establish youth and reading groups in villages and schools. With the support of mentors, the young women who ride the Blossom Bus lay the foundation for a vibrant network of past, current and future students, supporting each other in reaching for their dreams. 

Over the summer vacation, we met with some of the Blossom Bus students who are at an exciting and important moment in their academic careers as they near the end of high school. Kusum is the daughter of a farming family from a small village in Rajasthan. Her father is a farmer who earns very little to support Kusum, her mother and her sister. When Kusum reached high school, she was going to have to drop out because the nearest secondary school was quite far from her home and her father couldn’t afford the transportation to and from school each day. Fortunately, she heard about the Blossom Bus and was able to get safe and free transportation to and from the high school. Kusum tells us, “I was about to drop out of school after grade eight like many girls from villages. I was saved by the Blossom Bus and which is a blessing for many girls like me to pursue their dream of higher education.” This year, Kusum blew everyone away when she completed her final exams with a 98% score and the third highest marks in the entire state of Rajasthan! Her dream is to pass the exam for entry into a coveted Indian Administrative services position. 

We are honored to support the students who ride the Blossom Bus with access to education. Thank you for your dedication to Blossom Bus students. 

Learn more about the program and see our recent Blossom Bus Spotlight here: https://lotusoutreach.org/news/blossom-bus-spotlight/

In rural areas of Haryana where Blossom Bus operates, the commute to school can be long and dangerous. Families are hesitant to let their children walk to school alone as sexual assault and harassment are all too common. Blossom Bus provides safe and reliable transportation to girls who live far away from the nearest school and would otherwise not be in the classroom. This simple intervention allows girls the opportunity to go to school, get an education and dream big. 

In the communities where Blossom Bus runs, it has become much more than a bus. It is an emblem of girls’ right to education and a channel through which stereotypes about what a girl should and should not be doing can be broken. As more and more girls feel inspired and able to get an education, they also feel empowered to go on to college, earn degrees, get jobs, and earn incomes. These girls pave the way for future generations and open up a world of possibilities for their siblings, friends, neighbors, and communities. 

Often, the girls who ride the Blossom Bus come from challenging and underprivileged backgrounds that set them back in their ability to pursue an education, many have been orphaned or come from single family homes where they simply cannot afford to send their children to school. Girls are often expected to help out at home, get a job or assist with household chores or caring for siblings, leaving little time for school and schoolwork. Kalpana is one of the students who rides the Blossom Bus to school every day. She is in 11th grade at the government school in Hathin, Haryana. 

Kalpana is the youngest girl among six sisters. Her elder sisters are all married with families of their own. 7 years ago, both of Kalpana’s parents died, leaving her and her brother orphaned and without any money or way to survive. The two of them survived on a very minimal government pension provided for orphans. When her parents died, she dropped out of school as she had no money to pay school fees or travel the distance to and from school each day. Luckily, Blossom Bus staff were familiar with her situation and supported her to get re-enrolled in school in 2019 promising her safe and free travel to school. She agreed and now is studying in grade 11 at Govt. Girls Senior Secondary School Hathin. 

Kalpana’s dream is to study further. She wants to become a teacher, to help others get an education and to make a living where she can support her brother as well. 

Thank you for supporting Blossom Bus and young women like Kalpana.