Shadhika
Reading Time: 21 minutes This edition of the When She Leads will celebrate girl leadership at the forefront of climate action in India. The interview is a conversation between Climate Change Initiative Fellow Nitika, the Initiative’s consultant Sayantoni Dutta, and Vanita Ganesh, Shadhika’s Digital Media Coordinator. Nitika is a Shadhika Scholar with a background in journalism and law. She
Reading Time: 5 minutes “I did not know that I could do something so big. I decided to try something in my village, and it turned out to be a very big program.” Beauti shares her experience with the group of Shadhika Climate Fellows about the initiative in her village to gain access to clean drinking water. “Years ago,
Reading Time: 6 minutes Trigger warnings: Instances of types of violence, mentions of sexual abuse and rape. In my short time as a communications professional, working on a program for 16 Days of Activism is often a bittersweet experience. It is a reminder of how far we’ve come and, simultaneously, of how far we have left to go. In 2021,
Reading Time: 9 minutes This interview is part of our When She Leads series. Learn more. UNICEF’s call to action for this year’s International Day of the Girl includes “greater attention, investment and action on letting girls lead by putting girls in the forefront of change efforts, hearing their voices, responding to their asks, and welcoming them in decision-making spaces,” among others.
Reading Time: 9 minutes In May 2022 Poonam, a Shadhika Scholar at Milaan Foundation, will graduate from college. Poonam lives in a small city in Madhya Pradesh and commutes 4 hours each day to and from college. Poonam and her mother talk about the significance of her graduation, and all it took to get her to this point. You’re
Reading Time: 6 minutes In May 2022, Lekha is graduating from high school. Her family lives in Colorado, but she goes to boarding school on the East Coast. Lekha and her mother Marsha reflect on what this graduation season means for their mother-daughter relationship. You are graduating at the end of this school year. What are your reflections looking
Reading Time: 11 minutes This interview is part of our When She Leads Series. Learn more here. Can you introduce yourself to the Shadhika supporters? Lekha: My name is Lekha Masoudi and I’m a senior at Phillips Exeter Academy, a boarding school in New Hampshire. I’ve lived in Denver, Colorado since I was a baby. I started the Shadhika Club along
Reading Time: 4 minutes Shadhika’s theory of change is centered around education as the most effective vehicle for people marginalized on the basis of their gender to move out of chronic disenfranchisement and towards self-determination. In one generation, a young woman with a college degree in India is more likely to find a job in the formal economy and
Reading Time: 9 minutes This interview is part of our When She Leads: Shadhika Scholar collection. Learn more. Nirashi, Puja, and Sumitra are Shadhika Scholars from our Partner Site Jabala in Jharkhand. They were interviewed by Director of Operations Kendra Nicolai and Digital Media Coordinator Vanita Ganesh. Hi everyone! Can you introduce yourself to our Shadhika readers? Namaste, my name is
Reading Time: 4 minutes Over the last two years, the world has gone through a profound collective reckoning and is now undergoing a paradigm shift as a result, and Shadhika is setting a new course for its work. Starting back in July 2021, the organization began a strategic refresh that will culminate with the introduction of a new strategic
Reading Time: 4 minutes The start of a new year traditionally holds so much promise and hope for positive change. It is the usual time to set intentions, resolutions, and new habits to take on a world of endless possibilities. As the world enters a third year of global pandemic, it feels like there is little room for hope.
Reading Time: < 1 minutes Despite a devastating pandemic and the challenges it brought, Shadhika has had an amazing (and inspiring) journey over the last few years. Diane Sigel has been a stalwart of Shadhika’s mission through the most turbulent of times, including an executive transition and a global pandemic. We are deeply grateful for Diane’s service and leadership as
Reading Time: 4 minutes As we kickstart our activities and goals for what’s shaping to be another exciting and strong year, Shadhika is excited to introduce the new Advisory Council who will support us in the fight for gender justice and empowerment and reaffirm our feminist values and human rights approach. Dipta Bhog has worked on gender and education
Reading Time: 4 minutes All over the world, everyone celebrates the International day of the Girl on October 11th. Shadhika has started to celebrate International Day of the Girl with the Shadhika Scholars in 2019. The Scholars use this day to raise awareness in their family, community and colleges in different parts of India. There are many girls in
Reading Time: 3 minutes People often imagine gender-based violence to be acts of brute force perpetuated against women and girls. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the conditions were ripe for violent abuse targeting women and girls in their homes and their communities. The local lockdown orders pushed people into isolation with their oppressors inside their homes for weeks and months