The above powerful statement was said by the greatest African inspirational leader Sir Nelson Mandela. The whole world agreed to this & as a result there are hundreds of govts as well as NGOs working worldwide. It is mandatory to educate people to make them aware of their rights and duties. History says that women have been more victims of exploitation than men. The social pressure in Indian systems is so high that women are afraid to make their exploitation public and demand justice.
The project Nanhi Kali is considered as an effective step in this direction which has been educating & empowering deprived girls for more than two decades. Mr. Anand Mahindra, the leading business tycoon of motor industries in India founded Nanhi Kali in the year 1996. Now the project is jointly running by the K.C. Mahindra Education Trust and Naandi Foundation. Mr. Anand also has the position of chairperson in the Naandi Foundation.
The right to education came into effect in India in 2009 but Nanhi Kali has been working on it for years. Nanhi Kali is supporting financially to provide complete 10 years school education to deprived girls from incapable families. The project has supported over 450K girls from underserved communities across the country till 2020.
Nanhi Kali is working not only in India but also in UK & USA with support of Mahindra Foundation.In the UK and USA, the Mahindra Foundation is providing a platform to the citizens there to help the underprivileged and poor girls in India to get education. Any citizen of USA or UK can gift one year of primary or secondary education to these girls by donating 78 $, 60 € or 84 $, 66 € respectively. Thus, the Mahindra Foundation is trying to raise funds for NanhiKalis in the UK and USA.
The story isn't that straight & simple, there are twists too. When the country was facing the dark time of Lockdown, it was also too struggling there for these NanhiKalis. But the people working behind it did not leave this project to God and neither gave up. During this post-covid time NanhiKalis are getting their classes regularly on tablets & with the help of EdTech organisation. This organisation is running the learning process successfully over an adaptive self-learning platform called Mindspark. So, girls are now getting educated digitally. Not only this, women from local communities are working as Nanhi Kali tutors who facilitate learning and mentor the NanhiKalis through their schooling, and also engage with parents/community to create a girl-friendly atmosphere.
Can anyone be the part of this program of goodness or welfare?
Nanhi Kali is a participatory project so it gives opportunity to all those who are willing to go ahead and help. Anyone can sponsor for one year of education as follows: INR 5400 for girl child studying in class 1 to 5 and INR 6000 for girl child studying in class 6 to 10. Nanhi kali provides the photograph and the profile of the sponsored girl child, followed by progress reports with the sponsor. Along with education, a kit also provides each girl with essential items such as - school bag, stationery, pullover / raincoat as well as a 12-month supply of branded sanitary napkins so that girls can learn well & live with dignity.
Nanhi Kali is a small but strong effort to make a better tomorrow for girls from incapable or backward families. Thousands of underprivileged girls like Brundha, Sunita and Manisha are living in the society respectfully and happily with the help of Nanhi Kali. Every project running to welfare like Nanhi Kali learns the one good thing that It never matters whether a billionaire or middle-class person who works behind an idea, the willpower of that person and the future of this country only matters.
Life of Anand Mahindra – The Philanthropic Chairman of Mahindra Groups Anand Mahindra is a distinguished Indian businessman. His company, Mahindra Groups, is worth the U.S. $19 billion. Anand has a keen interest in photography and filmmaking. He is also one of the most prominent philanthropists in India.
