INDIA
girls in india face limitations at every turn, especially at the dawn of adolescence.
India is home to 243 million adolescents- approximately 20% of the world’s total adolescent population. While boys in India share the burden of problems like teacher absenteeism and poor training, girls have to overcome a whole host of hurdles just to make it to the classroom. In fact, it is estimated that for every 100 rural Indian girls who enroll in school, 40 will reach grade four, 18 will reach grade eight, 9 will reach grade ten, and only 1 will make it to grade twelve.
While for boys, adolescence might mean greater possibilities and a broadening world, it means greater limitations for girls. Adolescent girls, especially from socially and economically disadvantaged communities, spend less time in school than boys, perform a disproportionate share of domestic work, have restricted mobility, and have very few acceptable and safe public spaces for recreation.
current projects:
Girl Icons Program
Some of the most profound change starts at the grassroots level, and the reason is quite simple. People know how to speak to their own communities, and what matters to them. This is why we support the innovative Girl Icons program.