Success Story- 4 Reaching out for help : THE STORY OF ANJALI AND RANI
Anjali (pictured above) is a 9 year old from Rajasthan, India.
She loves drawing, watching movies and painting her hands with beautiful henna
designs. She goes to school every day and her parents support her desire for education.
Anjali is lucky because not every girl in her village has the opportunity to
study.
Her cousin, Rani, who is just one year older,
got married last summer. In Anjali’s school, there is a girls’ parliament
called the Bal Sabha (Girls Council). During Bal Sabha
sessions, young girls are taught life skills. They have the opportunity to
speak up about their concerns, and by doing so, they gain confidence. Anjali really
likes being part of the Bal Sabha.
Anjali was playing a Team Balika Member
visiting a house where a young girl was about to get married. Anjali’s
character had to convince the parents to stop the wedding from happening and to
send their daughter back to school instead.
The issue of child marriage is quite
problematic in the region, and Anjali had to use many arguments to explain why
girls should get educated instead of being married off so early. The story had
a great impact on the audience and many students had something to recount at
the end of the performance.
Since Educate Girls started its program six
years ago, almost 11,000 girls
have been trained as Bal Sabha leaders in the districts where
Educate Girls works. These young girls grow up educated and confident, with
knowledge and skills that will help them throughout their lives.
Since the play was performed, Anjali talked
to one of Educate Girls’ volunteers. She mentioned her cousin’s marriage and
the fact that Rani didn’t go to school any more. The volunteer of educate girls
has been to Rani’s house several times to talk to her parents. After much persuasion,
they have finally agreed to send their daughter back to school until the time
comes where she will leave their home.
Now Rani and Anjali walk to school
together, play and do homework in the evening.

Beautifully penned down
ReplyDeletegood work
ReplyDeleteNice👌
ReplyDeleteReally great
ReplyDelete