by Scottish Love in Action
Image credit: Phil Barnes and Vicki Watson
Putting Scottish Love ‘in Action’ to transform girls lives in India — invest in a girl and everybody wins.
131 million young and adolescent girls worldwide are out of school. Those who are in school often struggle to receive a quality education. Millions of girls also enter early marriages, and bear children at a very young age. Some have no opportunities for training or a career, and this situation can perpetuate poverty, disease, and suffering.
This International Women’s Day, here at Scottish Love in Action (SLA) we are looking to the work our partners are doing with girls and young women in India, for inspiration and ideas on how to begin to try and tackle some of these issues.
SLA aims to transform lives by partnering and working with grassroots Indian organisations that offer care, support and education to the most vulnerable children. Many of these children have been living on the streets or in slums, involved in begging and at risk of all kinds of exploitation.
When we were looking for new projects to partner with a couple of years ago, we realised our impact could be maximised by linking with organisations targeting, supporting and working specifically with girls.
27% of Indian girls are married before the age of 18, and one in 6 will have their first child between the ages of 15 and 19. A UN report from 2012 found that the most dangerous place in the world to be born a girl is India; the report highlighted that females are twice as likely as males to die before the age of five.
Even if a girl manages to get into school they still face challenges: 7 out of 10 girls are unable to complete secondary school in India. If a girl is able to receive an education, she is empowered and enabled to make better life choices, earn a higher income, support her children’s health and education and benefit her wider community. In India, this is important, as an Indian girl with 10 years of education is six times less likely to be pushed into illegal marriage. Every year of secondary education increases a girls earning power by 18%.
Invest in a girl and everybody wins!
Our research led us to identify two organisations that we wanted to work with.
ASRITHA Rainbow Home cares for 100 girls formerly living on the streets in Hyderabad and helps them work towards a brighter future, caring for and educating them in a safe environment. Rainbow convert underused rooms in Government schools into residential homes for girls who have been living rough on the streets so they can then enter mainstream education in these same schools.
Many of the girls who come to the home have never attended school before. Rainbow work intensively with these girls to improve their social skills, empowering them to take charge of their own education and future in a safe and loving environment.
“Rainbow Homes is an uplifting illustration of how to rescue and rehabilitate vulnerable street children. Their unique model of public-private partnership is a catalyst for the successful operation of 45 Homes across India, caring for more than 3,800 children. Their approach is recognised by experts as an example of best practice, achieving excellent results.” —Michelle Davitt, Chief Executive of Scottish Love in Action
VOICE 4 Girls seeks to break the cycle of poverty by providing mentorship and empowerment training to vulnerable girls, encouraging them to remain in education and resist early marriage, childbirth and child labour. During a three-year cycle of camps and follow-up activities, ‘campers’ learn about and discuss their rights, reproductive health, sexual relations, domestic violence, conflict resolution, financial literacy, career options, future planning and leadership.
The goal is to empower girls to make decisions about their futures, to remain in education and to resist forced labour, violence, early marriage and childbirth. In this way, the project empowers girls and encourages their families and communities to safeguard the rights of women and girls.
“VOICE 4 Girls has a lot to teach people around the world about how to empower and support girls and young women to find their voice, and use it to speak up for themselves and others. The girls’ energy, enthusiasm and bravery are an inspiration to us all.” —Michelle Davitt, Chief Executive of Scottish Love in Action
By partnering with organisations like these on the ground, Scottish Love in Action are furthering the empowerment, education and training of girls in India. We have chosen to work with partners who take a holistic approach to addressing gender imbalance, promoting girls’ well-being and protection, ultimately transforming communities and offering a sustainable, long-term escape from poverty.
Scottish Love in Action
Scottish Love in Action (SLA) is a charity based in Scotland that cares for and supports vulnerable children in India. SLA’s purpose is to help transform the lives of vulnerable children in India. We do this by partnering with and supporting grassroots Indian organisations that care for and educate children. Read about our projects. Our joint vision with our Indian partners is to reduce all forms of child poverty.
