asha

It’s never easy for a girl to take a decision and stand for her beliefs, especially when living in a society where girls are deprived from love, care and education due to gender inequality, child marriage and thinking that girls have a duty to do the household chores. Rising above the crowd, Asha refused to follow the negative stereotypes and battled against the odds to take a stand for herself.

 

Asha is a strong and confident 16-year-old who enjoys playing cricket, reading and studying geography and has the ambitions of becoming a police officer. She and her brother have been living at our shelter home since 2009 when her father died, and their illiterate mother was no longer able to offer them a safe home and education. Asha is determined to break the cycle of poverty she was born into by succeeding in her own future.

 

With lots of hard work and dedication she completed her 12th standard exams and became a topper with 82%. She has an interest in sports but judo is the sport she loves. She shares her judo and self-defence techniques with other girls at our Rehab Center, making them strong enough to face any challenges they may face in the outside world. 

 

She was one of the main players in our Malala Campaign. Where, as a motivational speaker, she could share her journey so far addressing up to 200 participants at a time and encouraging them to stand strong and promote equality in education. Speaking about the campaign she said: “I am proud to be standing with Snehalaya and Malala to help improve girls’ education and empower girls by explaining their rights and giving them inspiration to do the same. Before this campaign I saw boys as being above girls but by telling other people about gender equality I have begun to believe in myself and can see we are equal.”