Empowering Girls With Basic Education and Literacy

Empowerment, especially empowering girls, is an agenda close to my heart. When I talk of empowering girls, I imagine independent and strong women; who believe in themselves and do not glance back at their shadows inspite of walking in the scorching sun.

As quoted by Coco Chanel, A girl should be two things: who and what she wants. Her entire paradigm should be around understanding the self and knowing her path in life. She does not necessarily have to be aggressive or brazen in attitude to put her point on the table. She can display empowerment merely be showing courage and power through her compassionate interface with others - all that which reflects her innate strength.

I believe, that, basic education and literacy is a very important tool to free the mind. Knowledge once acquired cannot be taken away. It is the inherent legacy which can be passed from generation to generation; and is the panacea for abolishing the discrimination against the girl. Every girl has the potential to excel. Educate her to handle her moral compass and stay steadfast to her thoughts and beliefs. Living examples of women in leadership roles are abundant around us.

Some glaring facts confront us. If all girls completed primary education, there would be 66% fewer maternal deaths. A child born to a mother with basic literacy level, has 50% more chances of survival past the age of five years. Educate to empower the girl. At Rotary International, several projects have been initiated around sending the girl back to school - Donating Bicycles to girls so as to help her reach school easily from the village interiors, Training in self defense techniques, Scholarships for the Education of girls, making Schools Healthy and others; as well as working on this focus with the stakeholders of literacy as the teachers, the parents, the school administrators and the community. Around the world, the girl yearns to learn. Teach her young, teach her well. Teach her to think, teach her to discriminate the right from the wrong, teach her to live responsibly and respectably. The empowered girl will one day, think not only for herself; but the family, the society, the nation and the people she touches in her life. That is the inherent power of the girl.

Shekhar Mehta, Rotary International President (2021-22)