STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION

Kunti, is a Dalit girl and one of a family of 8 children. Her father, an alcoholic, stopped working when the children were young. Her mother is illiterate and worked multiple jobs as the main bread-earner of the family. Kunti and her sisters were enrolled in Prerna. Kunti excelled in Prerna, became the school head girl and completed class 12 with top honours in 2009. In 2012, she won a community college scholarship to the US for a year (where she excelled too). She returned to India to successfully complete an MBA program with specialization in marketing. Kunti turned down a job offer in a Delhi company to join Didi’s – SHEF’s sister social enterprise. As a manager, she handles a team of 40 employees.

Khushboo completed her school education despite violent opposition from her father, who turned her out of his house because she insisted on continuing her education after 10 th grade. With the support from her grandmother, Khushboo completed her schooling at Prerna and resisted child marriage. She now has a masters degree in women studies and is pursuing a course in Nursery Teacher Training (NTT). Currently works as Production and Purchase manager at Didi's Foods & Creation.

Moni belongs to a Dalit family of four sisters. Her parents wash people’s clothes. A graduate of Prerna, Moni earned her bachelor’s degree in 2015. She has become the lead photographer for Digital Study Hall, supervising a team of two other girls. She has now completed her masters degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and is also a professional photographer.

I started school when I was very young. I was 3-years-old and I used to cry constantly as I did not go to the same school as my brother. My parents got fed up and enrolled me," says Poonam, whose persistence has enabled her to forge ahead and pursue her goals. She was pulled out of school twice, but kept fighting for her right to education. Eventually, Poonam was enrolled in a Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), where she topped her grade each year. She then got a scholarship from Mona Foundation that helped her continue her education. Poonam has now completed her B.A. in Education and is pursuing her Diploma in Elementary Education She also runs a GyanSetu center in her village (Shankarpur), and provides 'Digital Literacy' classes to the children there. Poonam's achievements and deep commitment to her students and community have made her a role model and inspiration for all those around her.

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