Project Nanhi Kali

Even today, 21 million girls in India are unwanted due to parents favoring sons over daughters. Furthermore, it is estimated that there are 63 million women “missing” from India’s population because the desire for sons has given rise to sex-selective abortions, and girls suffer disproportionately from disease, neglect, or inadequate access to education and nutrition.

A skewed child sex ratio of 914 girls to 1000 boys and poor female literacy rates of 65% at the national level and 46% in rural India also highlights the grim situation of girls in the country. Multiple studies have indicated the lack of foundational skills and poor learning levels of children attending government schools. The recent ASER report shows that 27% of all children in Std VIII were unable to read a standard II level text. Almost 57% were unable to solve a 3-digit by 1-digit division sum.

The crippling female illiteracy in India leads to a gender-skewed workforce, where only about 25% of the country’s workforce is female.

The project supports the education of economically and socially disadvantaged girls, who are typically first-generation learners. Project Nanhi Kali is India’s largest project that enables girls to complete ten years of schooling by supporting them with extensive academic and material support while allowing a conducive girl-friendly ecosystem around them. The purpose of the project is to curtail the high dropout rate prevalent amongst school girls in India while ensuring that girls attend school with dignity and attain quality education.

The Nanhi Kalis are provided with holistic support which includes the following:

1. Daily Academic Support at Nanhi Kali Academic Support Centres

2. The project adopts a unique pedagogy called the Cooperative Reflective Approach which is a concept based, interactive group approach to learning.

3. Digital tablets with preloaded educational content are provided to all Nanhi Kalis in secondary school.

4. Regular assessments and evaluation of the girls’ learning levels is an integral part of the project

5. Efficient tracking of attendance

6. A school supplies kit is provided to every girl annually, thereby allowing her to attend school with dignity.

7. The team works extensively with parents and communities to sensitize them to become collective guardians of the girls.

• Over 3,50,000 underprivileged girls educated since inception.

• Currently supporting the education of over 165,000 Nanhi Kalis across more than 6,200 Academic Support Centres in 3,860 schools through a cadre of 5,067 Community Associates, i.e., Nanhi Kali tutors recruited from local communities and trained by the project.

• Project locations: 10 states in India - Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal (earlier worked in Telangana, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan).

• Digital tablets provided to over 65,000 girls at secondary school level (3 girls share 1 tablet).

• Noteworthy outcomes of the project include reduced dropouts amongst girls, leading to a high retention rate in the project of over 90%, improved learning levels year on year monitored through individual assessments conducted in the programme and regular attendance.