For decades, India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh has been performing poorly on many socio-economic fronts. Leading amongst these are exceptionally high maternal and infant mortality rates. Often, pregnancy and child birth are accompanied by several avoidable complications and risks like disease, infection and even death. In the face of all this, and to combat such problems, CARE is implementing a project to help pregnant women in rural Uttar Pradesh gain access to information, resources and support groups. The project works on individual, household and...
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The Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) was launched by the government of India in 2004 with the objective of building residential schools for out-of-school girls in marginalized communities. CARE India collaborated with the government to improve educational processes in these schools including, but not limited to, teacher development, institutional strengthening, material and curriculum development and monitoring and evaluation. Over 2000 girls in 24 districts of Uttar Pradesh have benefited from this programme.  Two such girls, Samreen Fatma and Kiran Gautam, age 12 and 11 respectively, study...
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Vandana at 12 is not very different from other girls of her age.  She has dreams in her eyes and she wears a shy smile on her face. What make her stand out is the ‘never give up’ spirit amongst adversities and challenges.  Vandana was once enrolled in school but she does not remember when. However, her education was punctuated by a long break as economic hardship forced her father to migrate to Delhi, and later to Mumbai for work. Meanwhile her mother shouldered the responsibility...
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Today I would like to introduce you to a formidable woman from a small village in Uttar Pradesh who symbolizes the shakti or power in a woman. Chaman Bano, a 42 year old spunky woman, never went to a management school, but manages the needs of her village with an ease of a veteran. As the elected female representative of her village, she is inspiring other women to follow her example. The respect and admiration in her village is hard won and the path has...
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Education enhances life. It can end generational circles of poverty and diseases and provide a foundation for sustainable development. Many girls in Kasungu are denied the chance to get an education which condemns them to a life of missed opportunities.Some parents force the girls into early marriages just to run away from their parental responsibility. They think when she is married whether to an old man or a polygamist then all the responsibility is transferred to the husband.Employment in labor field of Tobacco production is...
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