Support an underprivileged girl to continue school

In India, girls’ education is often considered the lowest priority, in particular girl’s higher education. According to current transition rates, a girl who enters her final year of primary education (typically Class V) still only has a 54% chance of even starting Class XI. This does not even include girls who drop out during primary school or never attend school at all! The highest percentage of girls drops out between Class X and Class XI. Currently, out of every 100 graduates, only 38 are women (Census 2011).

India continues to be a country which largely values a girl’s marriage over her education. Among the lower-income groups, a girls’ higher education is often seen as an unaffordable luxury given a family’s financial constraints and preference to allocate resources to sons rather than daughters. This is coupled with cultural and social stigmas, perceptions and prohibitions, which act against the education of a girl child. All of this adds up to stack the deck against a girl acquiring a degree and reaching her potential.

Hence, making a conscious choice to support the higher education of girls, Udayan Care began Udayan Shalini Fellowships in 2002 in Delhi with just 72 girls.

Udayan Shalini Fellowship Programme of Udayan Care is a unique academic excellence and personality development programme for deserving and talented girls from weak socio-economic background aiming to turn them into empowered and dignified women or Shalinis. It is unique because it goes beyond being a usual scholarship programme by not only supporting higher education but also providing them with individual attention, counselling and grooming through personalised mentoring to assure their mental, moral and over-all development. They are also provided with opportunities to widen their horizon of knowledge on various fields like career choices, social issues and personality development.

Moreover, a 5 year planning of employability workshops with defined modules has been developed, which are delivered regularly and progressively to enable the girls to become employable, ranging from writing resumes, facing interviews, etiquettes in office, etc., by the time she finishes her studies. These regular workshops not only motivate them to seek employment after graduation, but also prepare them for entry level jobs. Lastly, the girls develop social sensitivity and a sense of responsibility, so that they give back once they become independent and start earning.

Through the USF programme, we aim to transform the lives of 40 Shalinis and their communities by ensuring there is non-disruption in studies for the girls so that there is increased employment opportunities for them. Moreover, the Shalinis get a better understanding of life due to the various workshops, and personalised mentoring, which leads to increase in self-confidence, self-esteem and aspirations and the ability of Shalinis to take independent decisions.

Due to financial and moral support provided by USF programme, the Shalinis see an improved quality of life as they can continue their studies further, look after their families and serve society. Additionally, the parents have stopped forcing their daughter for early marriage as they see an opportunity for their daughters to continue their studies and become employable while adding value to their lives. Many of the earlier beneficiaries are now well settled in life as Chartered Accountants, engineers, doctors, nurses, teachers etc.

The Shalinis not only support their families with money and informed decisions regarding life matters, they also participate in mentoring the new Shalinis by becoming active mentors; and enthusiastically work for nation building by becoming actively engaged in developing others, who are less fortunate than themselves.