It is always inspiring to see young girls becoming part of the change-making process at the grassroot level. They show courage, determination, and empathy to help their communities. These young women changemakers work despite all the challenges they encounter on a day-to-day basis. They break all the stereotypes and become the torchbearers of their generation, making a massive impact on the ground.
Aparna is one of the young women changemaker from Robertsganj Block, Sonbhadra (Uttar Pradesh). She is pursuing her graduation from Rajkiya Mahila Mahavidyalay, Sonbhadra, volunteering with NSS & Saksham Bitiya Abhiyan. She aspires to become a civil servant in the future.
In the month of February, we organized an orientation camp in Rajkiya Mahila Mahavidyalaya with National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers. The camp aimed to sensitize young people around the increasing girls’ dropout rate in schools and make them aware of the importance of girls’ education.
That fine day we met with Aparna, and immediately, she expressed her feelings about education and how badly she wants an opportunity to work in her community on this issue. We welcomed her on board immediately. In a few days, we organized a capacity-building session with all the volunteers.
Aparna quickly grasped the opportunity and immediately started working in her nearby community in Brahma Nagar, Robertsganj. She started by talking to girls about their studies and their school enrollment. She was taking part in the sessions organized for women by ASHA and Anganwadi workers, where she talked about the need for education for every girl child in their community.
One day I called her regarding the Mission Prerna Modules & SEEL activities to perform with the kids at her centre. When I said I would send it over WhatsApp, she replied, “I do not have a smartphone. My parents don’t have enough money to buy one. They don’t even want to continue with my education and my social work“.
The next day I visited her and got to know that she was doing all the volunteer work by asking for help from the community. She asked help from a neighbouring girl she calls didi to teach kids with the Read Along app, clicking photos, making videos, and communicating with us.
She asked for help from Anganwadi workers for the list of dropout girls to visit their houses and know the reasons behind not enrolling in the next class. She asked for help from her college mates to connect with girls in the nearby village of Ghurma.
She asked help from the headmistress of a primary school to conduct an awareness rally to motivate parents to send their kids to school. She was mobilizing her community with her will to help. She didn’t have resources, so she was asking for help from the same community. It was all about “asking for help and getting things done“. We appreciated her efforts in the community and assured her a tablet soon to work efficiently.
We belong to a generation that feels a kind of shame in asking for help. We do not leverage the power of asking for help. Aparna is doing volunteerism and social work for her community with the help of her community. It was such a unique experience under Saksham Bitiya Abhiyan. Now, Aparna is successfully impacting 60+ girls in her community. She is a motivation and inspiration for all the girls in her community, and other girl volunteers in the SBA cohort.