This Women's Day, meet the champions you supported!

Dear CRY Supporter,

The sun is up in the sky.

Sixteen girls stand in a line on the hockey field.

The whistle blows.

The District Hockey Tournament has begun.

Smita steps forward.

Nutan moves into position.

Bardani takes control as play begins.

Not long ago, a sight like this in Khunti district would have been unusual.

These girls come from farming families and migrant households, from communities where girls’ movements are watched closely and choices are often narrowed long before they can be voiced.

It is the first time they are seen in a public space — not as someone’s daughter or sister, but as a player. The first time their names are called out. The first time effort earns applause.

And when that happens, something shifts.

A girl who once stepped out cautiously begins to move with certainty. A girl who once limited her dreams to what she saw around her begins to imagine beyond it.

That shift is visible here, where the field gives them room to become more.

Smita, the only girl in her family to pick up a hockey stick, now dreams of wearing a police uniform. Nutan, who played in neighbourhood corners alongside boys, now competes at the district level knowing she belongs there. Anna, who lost her father last year and once saw her training centre shut down, now travels 10 kilometres to play — refusing to let the game slip away.

Together, sixteen girls from three CRY-supported centres stepped onto the district field this year, representing their villages and schools. Nearly 100 girls across remote tribal communities now train week after week through the Sports for Change programme.

Through sport, they are discovering what they are capable of.

The whistle cuts through the afternoon once more.

Nutan lifts the ball into an air dribble — steady, assured — and moves forward.

Step by step.

Not just towards the goal, but towards a future she can now see for herself.

This Women’s Day, thank you for making that shift possible.