“I’m not afraid now, I can give it back to anyone” says Pranitha*, smiling, seated upright on a chair at home, her hands folded. She points to a portrait of an elderly man hanging on the wall across from her…
Timely Intervention Thwarts Child Trafficking
Savi,14, her sister Sonali, 17 and their friend Rashmi, 17 were in a bus bound for Motihari, 450 km from Siliguri, West Bengal. It was Savi’s first trip outside the state and the girls were excited about it. Savi’s parents…
How period poverty ends in Tania’s village
With her palm tightly holding onto the handlebar, one feet on the brake and the other on the clutch, 18-year-old Tania takes off on her brother’s motor-bike to buy some stuff for home. She may be on her monthly period,…
Saying no to child marriage and yes to an education
Reshmi is a 15-year-old, timid and calm girl studying in the 9th grade from a community in Dumka, Jharkhand. When she turned 15, her parents wanted to get her married at the earliest. Even though Reshmi was eager to continue her studies, she was under constant pressure from her parents and relatives who kept looking for prospective grooms. Then one day her parents found a suitable…
Sandhiya goes against the tide to complete her 12th standard
“Every day I would wake up at three in the morning and study until six. I then finished all the household chores and got ready for school. I walked to my school, which was three kilometers away. After school, I…
Didi is here
Thumpa didi grabs my arm and herds me down an alley and through a crowd of men. I am wary, but certainly curious. The air is heavy with the smell of alcohol fused with incense, sweat and sewage. The lanes…
Shattered Dreams
Mumbai- the city of dreams, becomes Samira’s worst nightmare Samira (name changed to protect identity) loved going to school. However, at the age of fourteen, after having studied only up to class four, her family could no longer afford that…
Staying connected during the coronavirus pandemic
Working from home brings its own challenges, especially for field staff in World Vision offices across the country. However, trying times call for creative solutions, and the one thing that has helped bridge the gap is Video Conferencing apps. Since…
Lavanya grows in self-confidence
14-year-old Lavanya is excited to finally learn Karate. It was a sport she saw boys learning, but never thought that she would get the opportunity to do so herself. She lives with her family of six in a small house…
She is no less!
A one and a half-kilometre walk, a ten-kilometre ride on a local bus, a little more walking and hours of rigorous training – this is what it took 17-year-old Richa and 19-year-old Prithima, from an underprivileged family in Guwahati, to…