Meena Manches to be scaled up across Gujarat
Gurinder Gulati Valsad district: “I am happy to be a member of the Meena Manch as I am able to help children to come back to the school”, says Sajida, a little girl studying in Class V in a remotely located Gundlav Primary School of Valsad district. For two consecutive days Sajida noticed that one of her dear friends and classmates, Sohana did not attend school. She felt quite concerned about Sohana’s well-being and brought it to the attention of her class teacher. She also spoke to members of Meena Manch, who decided to visit Sohana’s house and find out.
Similar stories of empowerment of children in life skills have been witnessed in all the 1,000 plus primary schools of Valsad district, where UNICEF supported the Gujarat Education Department in successfully piloting the model of Meena Manches. Seeing Sohana hale and hearty, Sajida and other members of Meena Manch felt relieved; however, at the same time they were disappointed to know that Sohana’s parents had stopped her from going to the school because they did not see any value in educating girls, as “they cannot earn money”. On hearing Sohana’s story and her desire to continue her education, members of the Meena Manch took courage and spoke to Sohana’s parents. “Education is very important, particularly for girls, as it empowers them in many ways, e.g. first of all they acquire skills to read and write, they also learn to take care of themselves as well as the entire family”. The girls reminded Sohana’s parents, “every child, be it a girl or a boy has the right to education”. Impressed by the earnest appeal of Sajida and members of the Manch, Sohana’s parents felt motivated and agreed to send their daughter to school once again.
The main objective of these Meena Manches is to impart life skills education to the children and create awareness among community about the importance of girls’ education. Sajida recalls that until she became a member of the Meena Manch, she was not aware of the importance of hygiene. Meena Manches have now taken the shape of a state-wide campaign in Gujarat. For more such stories, please subscribe to our RSS Feed.
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