For Khushboo, sports became a catalyst for personal growth
Breaking Down Walls
July 1, 2024
Reading Time: 2 minutesKhushboo’s Story from Vikalp in Rajasthan
This is one of three stories part of a case study on how Shadhika’s Partners have found sports to be an effective tool for community mobilization and youth engagement. Read the other stories here and here.
Khushboo Nath is a young girl from Dadiya Village in Rajasthan. Before her involvement in sports, Khushboo was an under-confident 8th grade student who lived a life circumscribed by the boundaries of her home and school, confined by her family’s concerns for her safety.
She found herself trapped in a world where she had limited say in decisions that affected her life.
Her family was protective, restricting her outdoor activities. While her brothers could leave the house whenever they wanted and occasionally without permission, she had to go outside with an older family member.
She did not like the gender-based discrimination but was unable to raise her voice against it.
Through Shadhika’s Partner organization Vikalp Sansthan, Khushboo became associated with sports activities in her village. In addition to sports, she began attending training sessions at Vikalp, where she started gaining knowledge on topics like child marriage, gender-based violence, and discrimination.
For Khushboo, sports became a catalyst for personal growth. It instilled in her a newfound confidence and the ability to make decisions for herself. The fear that had gripped her life began to dissipate. She found herself empowered to take charge of her destiny and felt a deep motivation to inspire other girls in her village to partake in sports.
Today, she aspires to become a police officer, a profession that would allow her to serve her community and make a positive impact.
Read more