In 2006, India passed The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act which prohibits girls from getting married under the age of 18 and boys from getting married under the age of 21.

However, this did not entirely end child marriage. 

India has the largest number of child brides in the world: 223 million child brides. Roughly 23% of women in India are married under the age of 18.  Child marriage affects boys as well, but it affects girls exponentially more. 

So why does child marriage happen? 

Child marriage is something that has become integrated into India’s social norms. Oftentimes, when one family sees someone else in their community marrying their child, they feel socially obligated to marry their child too. Some families also devalue women and view them as an economic burden, so they marry their girls off as soon as possible to avoid paying for her education and care. 

Child marriage affects children negatively in numerous ways.

If a child, particularly a girl is married, they are less likely to attend school, furthering the possibility that they will live in poverty or lack financial independence. 

They are also more likely to be a victim of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and emotional trauma. 

They are more likely to not have proper access to birth control

They are more likely to have an early pregnancy or die from childbirth.

They are more likely to develop AIDS and other sexual health problems.   

As stated earlier, there is currently a law in India that prevents child marriage, however child marriage continues to exist, especially in rural areas. Investing in a child’s education is truly imperative as there is a direct link between children staying in school longer and a decrease in child marriages. Furthermore, if children were to stay in school they are more likely to have a higher paying job and not live in poverty.

There are a number of grass-root organizations who work with communities in India to convince them not to marry off their children and advocate for child welfare. CRY funds and works closely with these organizations, providing them with the much needed support.

Please consider donating as much as you can to this campaign.

Let’s work together to end child marriage once and for all. 

“In serving the best interests of our children, we serve the best interests of all humanity” – Carol Bellamy, American non-profit executive and politician. 

Many girls cannot complete their education. The parents of these children also don’t find it as important for a girl to go to school because of the discrimination and bias. They don’t view girls on the same academic or social level as boys and subsequently don’t make an effort to send their child to school. People believe that these girls should just get married off and their purpose in life is over. However, many others disagree strongly with this belief including myself.

I believe that women can in fact have an education, have a career, and be just as good as men. Families neglect their daughter’s education more because they believe that their son can succeed. To help these girls finish their education, we need to make a change in our mindset. We should help many families understand that daughters can achieve the same as sons. They deserve the same education and freedom in their life as anybody else.

For example, my own mother and her two sisters could have not been given an education. However, their parents believed in them and let them pursue and complete their education, unlike many other people in that time. And those sisters became successful, all because their parents’ mindset was correct. So like these parents, many others should strive to be the same and allow their daughters the same freedom as their sons or other boys.

Help me in trying to make a meaningful difference for girl’s education,

Neha Deshpande

 

##What do Girls want

“We don’t want to get married early” “We want our schools to have toilets and proper water facility”.  “We want safe transportation to school”

Clean drinking water, safe transportation, education are basic rights, that are denied to the underprivileged girls. Covid 19 and its disruption has widened the education gap for girls even more. Through this campaign, my mission is to create a lasting impact by ensuring access to education for girls who face significant challenges. YOUR small contribution can make a positive lasting impact.

In particular, I would highlight the story of 5 year old girl Anoushka, whose grandmother works as a maid in my grandparents’ house in India. Anoushka’s mother was married at 15, had a baby at 16. She could not cope with the burden of raising a child and disappeared.  Anoushka’s grandmother is committed to not repeating the same mistake and pledges to provide her with an education. She faces many challenges. Despite working in 12 hour days, she finds it difficult to pay the fees, buy books, and school uniform. She fears that as she grows older, she will no longer be able to provide the education Anoushka deserves.

There are countless Anoushka’s across India who dream of an education and a better future. In the face of poverty and hunger, girls education is the first sacrifice the parents make. Girls are expected to work to support their brothers’ education and are married off at an early age. Even when parents are supportive, lack of schools, transportation and basic amenities, make education a far-fetched dream for many.

Education is not only a fundamental right but also a transformative force that breaks the cycle of poverty and empowers individuals and communities. Here is a short video from Asha who beat all odds to become the 1st woman from her village to join the police force: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMijQHN7Vpg

No donation is too small as every contribution counts towards creating meaningful change. Together we can empower these girls, instill hope in their hearts, and create a ripple effect that will impact generations to come. Your support will help CRY continue its important work, reaching out to more girls in need and providing them the education they deserver. Together we can build a better future one girl at a time.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to transforming lives through education. Please donate!!

 

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela

Girls in underprivileged communities in India face numerous challenges in completing their education.

Due to safety concerns, the distance between home and school, the absence of separate and functional toilets, poor school infrastructure, child marriages, the family’s poor economic condition, and negative attitudes regarding girls’ schooling, education for girls is usually de-prioritized. These young girls are forced to drop out of school to help with housework or to earn a living to support their families. Many families are reluctant to send their daughters to school because of the violence and abduction that occurs daily. Oftentimes, teenage girls in India do not want to attend school due to the lack of sanitation and functioning toilets at these schools.

All of these reasons lead to the dropout rate for girls at the elementary level being 4.10% which rises to 16.88% at the secondary level (U-DISE 2015-16).

Given the right opportunity to study and grow, girls can live up to their true potential. CRY has helped give girls this opportunity to further their education. Girls have gone from dropout to national champions in sports. Some are full time mothers as well as students. My campaign aims to raise awareness of the issues faced by girls and raise funds to help girls in underprivileged communities continue their education.

You can help me reach my goal by making a contribution!

 Thank you so much for supporting this great cause and funding an opportunity for a child in need.

Meet Chandni. As a child, she grew up within the walls of her small community, where the only way to survive was through sex work. One by one, every young girl’s freedom of choice was taken by this precedent. Chandni watched as her aunts and elder sister were coerced into this lifestyle, dreading the moment she would be forced to do the same.

CRY America’s Project Samvedna opened new doors for Chandni. After discovering her plight, CRY emphasized the boundless opportunities Chandni will have through completing her education, convincing her family to take a different path.

Chandni had been given back the reins to her life, with which she opened door after door to follow her dreams. With her education and freedom, she reached her goal of becoming a part of India’s paramilitary forces. She is not only surviving, but chasing her potential and becoming the best version of herself.

There are many other girls like Chandni struggling to break free of their confinement and pursue their passion. This disparity between choices given to girls and boys has widened because of the COVID pandemic. Girls are being pushed into child marriage and child labor more frequently, especially in underprivileged sectors of society.

CRY America is actively working to ensure that every girl has the opportunity to get an education and follow their dreams. Please donate to this campaign to support our future leaders, doctors, teachers, and dreamers. 

Every penny makes a difference. Donate now to help open doors for girls like Chandni. #WomenofTomorrow

Underprivileged children in India encounter countless challenges, some that we cannot even imagine. Due to the underlying issue of poverty, many children must work, instead of going to school.  Without nearby schools, many children cannot travel to school safely, and are forced to stay home to take care of younger family members or sometimes even forced into early marriage. Additionally, the lack of hygiene in schools can cause children to avoid school completely.

According to the 2014 Education for All Global Monitoring Report, “India currently has the largest population of illiterate adults in the world with 287 million, which is 37% of the global population.” Children without access to proper education grow up to become part of this group of illiterate adults. Although these children are enduring many hardships, without education, they lack a bright future. You can help these children. You can make a lasting impact on their lives by donating to CRY America: Child Rights and You.

By donating, you will help give convenient access to education. CRY America works to give underprivileged families access to quality primary and secondary education. With nearby schools, parents will not have to worry about their child’s safety, and are more likely to send their child to school.

By donating, you will help improve hygiene in underprivileged schools. CRY America works to create equitable and safe environments where children can learn, without the concern of sharing a toilet with the opposite gender.

You may ask, why is this important? Why is it necessary for all children to have access to a proper education? Well, the moment a child is able to go to school, it sets off a positive chain of events in their life. An educated child stays away from child labor, child marriage, and exploitation. They also become more independent, preparing them for a variety of opportunities in the future. Imagine what could happen if every child was properly educated. Imagine how many more children would have a secure future ahead of them. By donating, you can help turn this imagination into a reality.

I strongly believe that every child should have a right to education. This is why I chose to volunteer with CRY America. It gave me a platform to create awareness about the issues that underprivileged children face in India. By creating a fundraiser, I could raise money to improve schools in India and give children better access to education. I felt like I could really make a difference, and so can you!

Please consider donating to CRY America for this noble cause.

Sincerely,

Isha Korgaonkar

 

Let Girls Learn

Around the world 62 million girls are not in school. Millions more are fighting to stay there. As a girl grows older the fight to get an education becomes even harder. Her family must be able to afford and be willing to pay school fees. She risks long, dangerous walks to school. She may become pregnant or be forced to marry. And she often lacks access to healthcare and the support she needs to learn.

Please click on below link –

http://america.cry.org/site/microsite/stayinschool2018/index.html

 

Hello! My name is Aditi Wamorkar and I have started a CRY America donation page for the “Stay in School” campaign for girl’s education.

In parts of India, families are often unable to prioritize girl’s education. In fact, the school dropout rate amongst adolescent girls in India is 63.5%. This leads to many girls being forced to drop out of school and either start a family or begin to work to generate an income.

There is a multitude of reasons to why education is hindered for girls. A culture of early marriages forces girls to drop out of school and focus on domestic work & rearing a family. Nearly 50% of all working children are girls.  Families living in abject poverty often resort to sending girls out to work to help support the family. This ends their path to getting an education and disposes of their independence. Some families do not want to send their daughters to school because they favor their sons over their daughters, leading girls to be denied an education while their brothers are given one.

Lack of facilities suitable for girls at school, such as toilets, lead many to drop out. Roughly 11% of all schools in India don’t have toilets and 280,775 schools don’t have toilets for girls. Even worse, there may be no schools nearby to even attend.

When a girl gets an education, she sets a cycle of positive change and independent spirit. Educated girls grow up to be educated women who are able to avoid exploitation, create a secure future and take good care of their families. Educated women also empower others who may be in a situation like she once was, changing their community for the better.

We place a high regard for education and encourage our youth to pursue it. Together, we can do the same for girls who ache for a better future by funding their education and bright future

Your support to ‘Stay in School’, will ensure that 1071 girl children in India go to school, complete their education and realize their dreams. When you educate a girl you enable better choices for herself, her family and her community. Make sure she stays ahead just by staying in school.

Education is a primary requirement for every child and they have a right to it. However, it is a sad situation that many, especially girl children, are deprived of this fundamental right. It is our overarching goal as part of CRY America to raise USD 15,000 through ‘Stay in School’ campaign to help 1701 such girl children continue their school education. Namratha and I are seeking your support to make USD 1,500 as part of this goal.