Snehalaya stands #withMalala |
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Despite the immense progress that has been made in the last 15 years to universalise primary education in India, the state of secondary education remains troublesome, particularly for girls. In Ahmednagar, Maharashtra where we operate, there is much need to advocate for girls’ education amongst Dalit, tribal and nomadic communities, as well as Muslim groups and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Sadly, young girls are often kept out of school to support low-income families, and become vulnerable targets of commercial sex traffickers, who operate heavily in the region. We believe in equal access to education for all, and when women are educated, their whole community benefits. |
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On 15 June we will be celebrating the conclusion of our #withMalala campaign which has been advocating for improved girls' education throughour Ahmednagar district since 13 April. At the same time from 2pm this Wednesday ALL donations received via our fundraising page will be eligible for 50% match funding. Help us to help more girls acheive their ambitions by supporting our education projects. | | |
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#withMalala We are proud to have been chosen to join the campaign Students Stand #WithMalala (SSWM), a collaboration between Malala Fund and Participant Media, to empower the next generation to raise their voices for all girls’ rights to 12 years of free, safe and quality education. | | |
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Malala Yousafzai, who had been targeted for speaking out on behalf of girls’ education in her region of Swat Valley in Pakistan, was wounded when Taliban gunmen opened fire on her and her friends’ on their school bus. Aged just 15 she was shot in the head, sparking international media outrage. Malala has since emerged as a leading campaigner for the rights of children worldwide and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. |
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We joined SSWM in November last year to bring the premiere of He Named me Malala, an intimate portrait of the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Malala Yousafzai, to Mumbai. At our Gala for Malala at the University of Mumbai, Education Minister of Maharashtra, Vinod Tawade, pledged his much needed support to ensure all girls in our state complete their 12th Standard education. This cabinet level, along with grassroot support, is vital as currently only 2% of girls complete secondary school and only 47% start secondary education. |
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With the DVD launch and a Hindi translation of the film, we were able to bring Malala’s story directly into our own communities. Through a targeted three-month programme of documentary screenings, radio programmes, public debates and awareness days, we have reached out to high-risk young people across Ahmednagar (population 4.5million), and show how the route to better futures is through equal education. We are delighted to have had a great response from the audiences across Ahmednagar, as well as key influencers who can help make dreams a reality. |
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20 screenings 20,035 registered attendees 3,696 children in 16 rallies 2,359km covered |
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Our passionate young female students have delivered over 60 street performances, literally bringing traffic to a standstill and drawing everyone’s attention to the importance of the need for equal education. As beneficiaries themselves they have personally experienced their own barriers to education, and are proud to be on the campaign trail with us. Two of these girls in particular grew up in orphanages, are living with HIV and were only able to complete 12th Standard by transferring to our Snehadhar shelter. We are pleased they are both off to college to study law and fine art, and we will continue to support them right through to their successful graduation. |
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Anjun comes from a poor family and was forced to stop her studies to look after her two younger sisters. At 18 she was also tricked into an unhappy marriage but managed to escape and return home. Seeing Malala's story at our roadshow and screening Anjun was motivated to contact our team to ask for help in resuming her studies and achieving her ambition of becoming a social worker. We are happy to be supporting Anjun to complete her schooling so she can go to college and ultimately work to help others like herself to fulfill their dreams. |
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With religion playing a central role in Malala’s story it was important to us that we bring the film to our own Muslim communities. We were really pleased to bring 18 year old Saba with us. She attends one of Snehalaya’s seven Balbhavan (slum schools) in Ahmednagar city and studies the Qur'an every day. Saba was able to eloquently and passionately share in her own words how Islam supports the education of girls and how, as in Malala’s case, the Taliban misrepresents the beliefs of the religion. |
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4 new balbhavan opened 156 guests of honour 1,100 competition entries |
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To help us attract and engage with children at our road shows we held poster, poetry and slogan competitions asking them to express what they thought the barriers to girls' education are in their communities. This was extended to a district-wide competition with winners invited to our finale showcase to receive their educational prizes. We also wanted to give young women aged 15-25 a practical helping hand with continuing their education through an essay competition. They were asked to write on the importance of girls' education and one winner and four runners up will receive scholarship prizes to support them through their studies. |
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View all the action from our road shows |
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Help us educate more girls Our Primary School, IT Centre and Outreach Daycare projects serve over 2,000 children providing a better future to those who would otherwise slip through the net. Your donation gives the most powerful life tools of knowledge, self-belief and hope to India's future leaders. We believe in breaking the crippling cycles of poverty to enable long term change. And if you donate this Wednesday 15th June your gift will receive a top up of 50%! | | |
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Thank you for your support |
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