In the developing work, 42 percent of girls are not enrolled in school. And in India, 40 percent of girls do not make it to secondary school. To address these issues, Symantec has proudly supported the work of Room to Read since 2008, funding school libraries and girls’ education programs in Sri Lanka and India, and in FY2014 provided technology investments that expand the organization's capacity to assist governments and NGOs.
We're pleased to showcase the inspiring story of how one father, Bhajnu, and Room to Read's Girls' Education Program are breaking down barriers to ensure girls in India complete a crucial first step to future social and economic stability. Read on below, or see the full story here.
For India’s School Girls, One Father’s Support Gets Multiplied
“Education is a lamp that can brighten a child’s life. Their education can, in turn, brighten the society and bring progress and prosperity.”
— Bhajnu, father and education advocate in his village
Last year Sonam and Kavitha, two sisters from a poor family in a remote region of Madhya Pradesh, India, were about to drop out of school when their neighbor, a man named Bhajnu, tried to stop them. In a country where 40% of girls never even make it to secondary school and many fewer graduate, this was a strange occurrence indeed.
The sisters had been glad to join Room to Read’s Girls’ Education Program, which helps girls finish secondary school — a notoriously tough milestone for girls from low-income countries — but their interest in school plummeted when they failed an important exam. Their elder brother, who had been against sending them to school, wasn’t much help either. In his opinion, since they’d failed there was no point in spending more money on their education.
{Read the full article on Room to Read's blog here.}