Shadhika

Reading Time: 4 minutes “I want to send my daughter to college but my family wants me to marry her off soon so she won’t be a burden on the family. I don’t have money to take care of her, so I don’t know what to do. I can’t let her dreams be cut short so soon either,” said   

Reading Time: 3 minutes Around the world, women and girls are leading in crisis response.  The Muslim female students are standing up for their right to an education at a time when religious violence reaches new heights in India.  Women are leading in the humanitarian response to the war in Ukraine, galvanizing their communities to meet the needs of   

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: 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   

Reading Time: 5 minutes This interview is part of our When She Leads: Board Members collection. Learn more. Menka Lamba is a leader in the financial sector, a Shadhika supporter, and now Shadhika’s newest Treasurer. She was interviewed by Ami Shah, Communications Manager. Hi Menka! Could you introduce yourself and share how you joined the Shadhika network? I was born in   

Reading Time: 6 minutes This interview is part of our When She Leads: Board Members collection. Learn more. Tara Risser is a corporate-partner leader, a long-time supporter, and now one of Shadhika’s newest Board Members. She was interviewed by Ami Shah, Communications Manager. Learn more about corporate partnership opportunities here. Hi Tara! Could you introduce yourself and share how you joined   

Reading Time: 6 minutes This interview is part of our When She Leads: Donor Highlights collection. Learn more. Kavita Jain is a member of Shadhika’s Scholarship Donor Circle. She was interviewed by Program Officer, Kendra Nicolai. If you would like to become a scholarship donor, you can do so here. Hi Kavita. Can you introduce yourself and tell us how you   

Reading Time: 6 minutes This interview is part of our When She Leads: Donor Highlights collection. Learn more. Kavita Biyani is a member of Shadhika’s monthly FundHer Donor Circle. She was interviewed by Development Coordinator Jenna Sweig. If you would like to become a monthly FundHer Donor, you can do so here. Hi Kavita. Can you introduce yourself and tell us   

Reading Time: 3 minutes March is an important month. For many of us, March 2020 held the last weeks of in-person work  before we were sent to work from home for “a couple of weeks or until further notice.” This month marks a painful anniversary. In many countries including India, March is also Women’s History Month to commemorate the   

Reading Time: 5 minutes In its second year, “When She Leads” is our annual interview series that celebrates and affirms the leadership, innovation, determination and resilience of the young women of Shadhika, as well as the women leaders at Shadhika’s partner sites across the Indian diaspora. These first-person accounts offer personal insight into the daily experiences of the lives