From Child Labour to College: Support Her Future

Sakshi (name changed) is a 14-year-old girl from Karhe village, Maharashtra. She is studying in 9th grade at Karheshwar High School. Her parents are wage labourers, her father is a driver on a private jeep, and her mother works on other people’s fields. They do not own any land and they have six members in the family: parents, grandmother, and three sisters, including Sakshi who is the eldest. 

Sakshi and her sisters faced a lot of discrimination and pressure from their father and grandmother, who were unhappy that they had no sons. They treated them as a burden and criticised them constantly. Sakshi’s mother was also unable to stand up for them, as she felt guilty for giving birth to only daughters. This made Sakshi feel inferior, shy, and isolated. She had no friends and hardly spoke to anyone. 

Sakshi’s life changed when she joined the Savitribai Girl’s Club, a project run by NISD, a local partner of Karuna Trust. The project aims to empower girls through self-defence classes, menstrual hygiene education, health lectures, leadership development, and motivational sessions. Sakshi became interested in the club activities and showed her leadership potential. She was elected as the leader of her group by her peers. 

Sakshi is now a confident and active leader, who organises various programmes for her group members, such as information sessions on menstrual hygiene, personal hygiene, adolescent health, and importance of education. She also helps her friends with their studies and encourages them to continue their education. She has a good rapport with the teachers, SMC members, and local leaders. She takes the girls’ problems to the teachers and tries to solve them. She also supports other school friends in their studies and challenges. She says, “I am happy that I am a girl. I am nothing inferior than any girl or boy. I will complete my education and shape my career well and prove to my parents and others that girls can also do equally better like boys.” 

Sakshi is one of the many girls who are transforming their lives and communities through the Savitribai Girl’s Club project. Karuna Trust works with local partners like NISD to overcome discrimination and violence against girls and women. We also work to challenge the social norms and structures that perpetuate inequality and injustice. 

You know your donations to this project are helping girls who have dropped out of school to get back into school. You know you’re helping pay for textbooks, jotters, tutors, rights education classes, menstruation education classes...and even bicycles to get to school. 

But when you think about this project, you no doubt also wonder about the real lives of the girls you’re helping. What is their situation? What’s happening at home? What do they think of the project activities?  

How about we let Rajitha give you a sense of her everyday experience. 

Dear Sir/Madam, 

My name is Rajitha and I am in 7th standard. I have one older brother and one younger sister. I have both my parents. I would like to say I have a good life, but, honestly this is difficult to say.  

My father does not have regular work. The money he does earn, much of it he spends on alcohol. Our home is a small hut. There is no electricity and in the rainy season the roof does not keep out the rain. 

As my father does not pay attention to us, my mother tries to find work. My mother wants us to go to school, but this is not always possible. For a long time, I did not go to school. Even now, I find it difficult.  

With your help, the project gives us books, but I don’t like to take them. I don’tlike being poor and I am shy to accept these gifts.  

My friends have helped me to overcome my shyness. For more than one year I have been at school all the time. My confidence is better, and I want to change my life and my mother’s life. Thank you for helping me and my family. 

Rajitha 

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Thank you for all you are doing to help Rajitha and all the other girls of this project.