A passion for education

Education is fundamentally important for individuals, societies, and the world at large. It leads to personal development, employment opportunities, informed citizenship, economic growth and overall empowerment.

In India, the lack of access to education and poor quality is a significant challenge, affecting millions of children. Although India has made significant progress in enhancing access to education, over the past few decades, many families continue to face challenges in educating their children leading to inequality.

This true story highlights the importance of education to develop an individual who can contribute to the development of society.

Nisha Soreng is a 20-year-old girl from a village in Jharkhand. Nisha belongs to a poor family. Nisha's family consists of her younger sister, younger brother, mother, father and her grandmother.

The family relies on subsistence agriculture, which is their main source of livelihood. They have a small plot of land with no irrigation facilities. Their knowledge of farming is outdated, and the yield hardly supports the family. Nisha has studied up to grade 12. She wanted to study further but due to lack of financial resources she had to drop out giving her younger siblings the opportunity.

The project implemented by Development Focus has a Leadership Academy where young girls and boys are trained to be Change Agents in their own villages. Nisha was selected to be trained. Initially she used to remain very quiet and did not respond much. She however had a passion for learning. Despite having a slight disability in her leg, she rides her bicycle 15 kilometers each way every day. This proves that if a person is determined to learn and succeed, they can achieve their goals. 

In a few weeks, Nisha has become more communicative and wants to address social issues in her village. She is eager to understand the social problems that hold back her people from development and actively address them. As part of training, she visits the school in her village to raise awareness among the students about their rights and how to keep safe. She has a passion to learn and communicate effectively. She is now thinking about what she wants to do in her life and would like to make the world a better place for children and youth, especially from excluded communities.

Through your generous donation, we can work together to build young people like Nisha who will be equipped to transform the lives of children and youth in their villages.