Blog
Educated, empowered women transform the world. That’s why I am so passionate about Shadhika’s mission.
Empowered Women
By Susan Herzig, Immediate Past Board Chair
July 22, 2020
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Educated, empowered women transform the world. That’s why I am so passionate about Shadhika’s mission. There is nothing like seeing the excitement girls bring to the opportunity of going to school and completing their education—an opportunity often denied to them and reserved for their brothers.
Their excitement is a palpable hunger for school subjects, but also for learning about so much more. For example, when the young women of Shadhika learn about their human rights, they come alive as they get the chance to put them into practice.
I’ve seen this drive so often on visits to our partner programs in India. During our last Shadhika board trip to India in January, among the many program participants we met, one teenager told us she’d had enough. Enough of resigning herself to eating the cold leftover chapatis she made for the rest of her family, after they had finished their meal. Now she demands to share meals with her parents and brothers and to eat the warm, fresh chapatis at the same time they do.
It may seem like a small victory, but it is a huge step in challenging traditions that restrict women and girls to second-class citizenship. What a brave young woman.
For me the most exciting aspect of Shadhika’s mission is exactly this: Each girl who finishes her education and achieves personal and economic empowerment paves the way for other young women to do the same. She becomes a leader in her community.
Thank you so much for your support to Shadhika and please consider joining me in becoming a Shadhika’s FundHER monthly donor.
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