Diminishing Societal Discrimination: One Scholar at A Time

Our Captivating Village Development Program helps out-of-school girls from impoverished families stay or go back to school. It may look different depending on the girl. Some, we sponsor the formal schooling by providing them with school materials, budget for food, etc.; while others are sent to alternative learning programs in our Accelerated Learning Programs (ALP) like Ruku (15).

Ruku lives with her large family of seven. The main income earners of the household are her parents. Her father works as a daily construction worker, while her mother works as a laborer in other people’s fields. They do, however, own 1 Katha (126 sqm) of agricultural land that they use for food security. But that alone is not enough. In a family of 7, to say that they do not make enough money is a massive understatement.

For any financially struggling family, sacrificing some needs is crucial for survival. In Ruku’s family, the culturally oppressive notion that girls must not go to school is unfortunately prevalent. To them, girls are for marrying off—and educating them is a mere waste of time, money, and effort. No questions asked, Ruku’s education is not a priority at all.

With the help of local community educators from our partners, Ruku was enrolled in Sagamartha Learning Centre for our Captivating Village Program. With her enrollment, we also helped her parents understand the importance of girls’ education, despite what they initially believed. It may be quite difficult for them to understand, but at least the love for their daughter made it possible for them to open their minds. Ruku, on the other hand, is truly delighted to be a part of the ALP Centre.

While in the program, Ruku realized that she had way more potential than what her society believed. When asked about her insights, she said that she hopes that our work brings about a gradual change in the mindset of the people in her community about girls’ education. Her family also thanked us for opening the doors for a new opportunity for their daughter.

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