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/