In a country where traditional values are still commonplace, girls are often thought to be best utilized by serving the home - household chores, fetching water, tending to her siblings and caring for cattle. With many ending up as child brides and adolescent mothers, they are denied the opportunity of education and to break the cycle of poverty for their families and communities.
Since the passage of India's Right To Education Act in 2009, the country is still struggling to overcome traditional views about a female's role. While some states showcase success - Kerala with a 92.07% female literacy rate - others are still facing significant hurdles - Bihar with a 51.5% female literacy rate. Across the country, around 63.5% of female students will quit school to tend to take on more traditional roles in their families and communities.
One Ummah has had the pleasure of teaming up a female only school in Kismatpur India, focusing on guiding our brightest females students through to graduation and helping them gain entrance into various colleges. Just this year, several students were admitted to further their Pharm degrees, others working towards their engineering degrees in 2019 and more students passing their Mcom and doing continued course work in international accounting.
Without the support of One Ummah's generous friends and donors, these female students could have been another statistic. Stuck in the cycle of poverty and traditional female norms. Now, they are working towards degrees that will help their people and make this work a better place.