Greenlight for girls launches in india

greenlight for

girls launches in

IndiaFebruary 2012

www.greenlightforgirls.org

Our strategy in India Changing the life of one child…

Our goal in India is to provide educational opportunities for a select group of special girls currently living in the slums and/or orphanages in India. Our aim is to provide a scholarship to enable these girls to go to university to study Science, Math, Engineering & Technology (SMET) subjects.

We will do this by partnering with 2 reputable organisations who are oriented to this same mission and provide the needed education and opportunities to get to this step.

We will also conduct SMET activities in India as opportunities arise – such as providing science experiments with the children at school, providing science libraries for the children and being a part of science initiatives (such as the Festival of Science day).

greenlight for girls with the Bosch Manasi Executive Team

Role-models:

the Manasi

group

Manasi is a group of female associates within

Robert Bosch India that work for the

underprivileged and for the women and children

in the neighbourhood surrounding the Bosch

plant. They wish to improve their lives, motivate

and encourage education, health &

hygiene, build self-confidence and contribute to

empowering women & children.

Their projects include collaborations with Ability in

Disability Foundation, Association for Mentally

Challenged, local orphanages, and many others!

One of the

largest slums

in Asia

greenlight for girls visited a slum

in Bangalore with the

organisation REDS, Ragpickers

Education and Development

Scheme. They provide

intervention programmes to

ensure successful integration

and participation in the

mainstream of society.

This room is a school for “non-formal education”. It normally holds 45 children but today is a festival holiday so only a few children were there that day.

These children really wanted their photo taken! And then they ran to see their photo so excited!

All the children

look out for this

woman… she is

the one that

cooks and feeds

them during

their school time.

The children were excited to

have contact with someone.

They almost knocked the founder

down in their enthusiasm to touch

her hair and skin. When it was

time to leave, the children

followed us out of the slum and

didn’t want us to go… and for

us, it was extremely difficult to

leave them…

Our first partnership: Parikrma

Foundation

Parikrma’s aim is

simple. To provide

the best possible

education that can

help the poorest child

to equally access the

best opportunities

globally.

We started our day with a lighting ceremony with the Parikrma team.

The founder, Ms. Shukla Bose

(India’s previous Woman

Entrepreneur of the year and Ted

speaker) is just one person part of

the amazing team that opens the

world for these children….

All of their schools are painted blue and green

– to remind them of the sky and the earth.

Next – the fun begins! A science experiment with the children to demonstrate engineering….

The children learn that it’s all about teamwork – we will find the solution together – however challenging.

The smartest 5 year olds that we have ever met.

They just started learning to read a few days ago.

A few moms help out the school to prepare lunch and wash dishes.

The founder Ms. Bose challenged them to really difficult questions…. And they loved it!

The children were constantly making us laugh.

A future greenlight girl greenlight for girls with Ms. Shukla Bose and 4 amazing girls who will be our first scholarship recipients.

A truly awe-inspiring day – one of those life-changing moments

where you realise that anything is possible and that we have an

opportunity to enrich the lives of these children even further.

We asked the girls about who they are, how they live, who they

wish to be, what are they afraid of… and their answers may

change our life forever.

greenlight for girls with the Nele children at one of their 6 homes (3 for boys, 3 for girls).

Saying goodbye…

Our 2nd

partner: NELE

“It is a common sight in

Bangalore to see children

with torn clothes, scattered

hair with their eyes full of

hope and lacking parental

love and caring.” Nele

works to provide these

promising children with basic

needs and a bright children.

They help to rehabilitate

destitute children.

We had such a warm welcome from the children! We then met the 4 girls selected for our global scholarship programme.

They showed us the new building they are creating themselves.

We listened and learned about each other’s organisations and how we could

work together.

The four special girls from Nele – a bright future is ahead for these intelligent beautiful girls!

They were nervous in the interview process – we loved hearing about their life and their aspirations!

greenlight for girls with 2 amazing role-models who have given up their corporate life to lead Nele and all its

wonderful work.

What do you want to be?, we

asked the girls. A doctor – to help

cure people. A public service

engineer – to change our

environment. A biologist – to

learn about human life. A

physicist… because I’m curious.

Dr. Chandana Bhattacharya,

India Director, greenlight for girls

Chair, Gender Equity

Melissa with Chandana

If you’d like to be a part of this project,

Please contact us!

[email protected]

[email protected]