PROBLEM
Our team at Khilti Pari believes the importance of girl education is often overlooked, and therefore we have made it our goal to educate everyone about it. The literacy rate measured for females is currently 64.45% in India, while state of Rajhastan is the lowest at 52.66% showing the urgency of improvement required. The current state of India has shown a tendency of regarding women as someone's mother, sister or wife and not as an individual. A woman in India is often seen responsible for jobs such as household chores, child bearing and rearing. The current situation of a lack of facilities has pushed around 63.5% female students to quit school in their early adolescence. At Khilti Pari, we believe a woman is much more than these roles. She is a STRONG and CAPABLE individual of society. Thus, we must break this chain of early child marriage and encourage to explore their capabilities.
Why Rajhastan?
According to Hindustan Times' article 2015 - 2016 data shows Rajasthan performed is amongst the states with the lowest Women Empowerment index, 0.28. Among other categories, rural Rajhastan performed poorly in:
- Married women who ussually participate in household decision - 80.1%
- Women who worked in the last 12 months and were paid cash - 19.3%
- Women owning a house or land (alone or jointly with others) - 24.5%
- Women aged 15-24 who use hygienic methods of protection during their menstrual period - 47.9%
According to Hindustan Times' article 2015 - 2016 data shows Rajasthan performed is amongst the states with the lowest Women Empowerment index, 0.28. Among other categories, rural Rajhastan performed poorly in:
- Married women who ussually participate in household decision - 80.1%
- Women who worked in the last 12 months and were paid cash - 19.3%
- Women owning a house or land (alone or jointly with others) - 24.5%
- Women aged 15-24 who use hygienic methods of protection during their menstrual period - 47.9%
SOLUTION
To help solve these problem, Khilti Pari implements programs in villages around Jaipur, specifically in the Bassi district. These programs are created based on personal conversations with the girls and women in this villages, targeting the major problems. We try to empower these women through 3 sectors: EDUCATION, HEALTH & LIVELIHOOD!
For more information on our programs, click here.
For more information on our programs, click here.
MISSION
1. Reduced Child Marriage
According to UNICEF, India has the highest number of child brides in the world - 15,509,000 - reported in 2017. In the same report, they mention that an astounding 47% of Indian women are married before the age of 18. Khilti Pari pushes for women empowerment and a large part of that is giving women the right to be old enough to evaluate their marriage situation. As a part of our recruitment process, we make sure to inform the families of the girls we educate that they must not marry until the child finishes her 12th standard. This way we push forth the idea that women should not be getting married early in all the villages we work in.
2. Less likely to be victims of domestic violence
The UN reports that 29% of females in India have encountered a “Physical and/or Sexual Intimate Partner Violence” in their lifetime. Educating women will make them have a better understanding of what is right and wrong. This way they will know when to take a stance against abuse.
3. Decreases risk of dying after childbirth
According to UNDESA, in 2015, there were 37 infant deaths (6 months after being born) out of every 1000 children. If females are more aware of the sanitary requirements during and after pregnancy then the chance of child deaths will drop significantly. Furthermore, Khilti Pari holds sessions in public schools in the Bassi District every week where a Khilti Pari staff member educates the girls in large groups about menstruation and cleanliness.
4. Better work and pay
The income distribution in India is severely skewed, the top 1% of the Indian population hold 73% of the country’s wealth. This disparity would be reduced if more people were educated as they would be paid higher wages - reducing the wealth of the corporate heads that hire them. One of the most important factors that would empower women is financial independence. To target this, Khilti Pari guarantees every girl in our program a job once they finish their 12th standard. Some of the girls that graduate are hired as Khilti Pari staff!
According to UNICEF, India has the highest number of child brides in the world - 15,509,000 - reported in 2017. In the same report, they mention that an astounding 47% of Indian women are married before the age of 18. Khilti Pari pushes for women empowerment and a large part of that is giving women the right to be old enough to evaluate their marriage situation. As a part of our recruitment process, we make sure to inform the families of the girls we educate that they must not marry until the child finishes her 12th standard. This way we push forth the idea that women should not be getting married early in all the villages we work in.
2. Less likely to be victims of domestic violence
The UN reports that 29% of females in India have encountered a “Physical and/or Sexual Intimate Partner Violence” in their lifetime. Educating women will make them have a better understanding of what is right and wrong. This way they will know when to take a stance against abuse.
3. Decreases risk of dying after childbirth
According to UNDESA, in 2015, there were 37 infant deaths (6 months after being born) out of every 1000 children. If females are more aware of the sanitary requirements during and after pregnancy then the chance of child deaths will drop significantly. Furthermore, Khilti Pari holds sessions in public schools in the Bassi District every week where a Khilti Pari staff member educates the girls in large groups about menstruation and cleanliness.
4. Better work and pay
The income distribution in India is severely skewed, the top 1% of the Indian population hold 73% of the country’s wealth. This disparity would be reduced if more people were educated as they would be paid higher wages - reducing the wealth of the corporate heads that hire them. One of the most important factors that would empower women is financial independence. To target this, Khilti Pari guarantees every girl in our program a job once they finish their 12th standard. Some of the girls that graduate are hired as Khilti Pari staff!
What our sponsors say'India is a country of beautiful history and culture that has produced some incredible inventions and individuals. But the country faces many issues with a large population living in poverty and educationally disadvantaged. It is especially challenging for the millions of young girls who don't get basic education, don't understand their own rights and hence have little chance to escape the vicious cycle of poverty. The Khilti Pari project attempts to attack this problem at its roots - directly working with the families of such young girls to try and ensure they stay within the educational system - allowing them to have a chance at a better future for themselves and their families. What's especially heartwarming for me is to see youths from my own community here in Antwerp raising funds and taking out time to take on this challenge head on. They are planning to personally travel to these areas at their own cost and work personally with such families. In some ways, they can better help and guide these girls by being closer in age and having a better outlook of options available to young people today. I fully endorse and support these young people and wish them great success in this endeavor.' - Ravi Bhansali, Rosy Blue Group
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