In rural India, female children are considered a burden. When poor fathers are asked how many kids they have,
they only count the boys.
But girls have the power to shatter the poverty cycle - if they're sufficiently educated, empowered, and enriched.
The first challenge lies in attracting and sustaining a father's interest in educating his daughter.
Strong economic incentives are required to compensate for the farm chores a girl would endlessly endure once
she's old enough to walk. We provide free books, transportation, uniforms, and - critically - three meals a day.
We also pay ten rupees ($0.21) for every day of attendance. This is a crucial aspect of our model:
payable upon graduation, ten rupees a day builds a foundation for changing a life.
The school's curriculum provides education and empowerment. Education means Hindu and English literacy,
math, health, money management, legal awareness, and leadership development. Empowerment means confidence-building,
so a girl is emotionally prepared to challenge a centuries-old way of thinking; and vocational skills,
for a future beyond sustenance farming.
