Room to Read Blog

Guest Blog from CEO Erin Ganju: A Call for Advocacy on International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on March 8, not only provides an opportunity for all women to celebrate the progress we have made, but also a moment to stop and reflect on how we may ensure that the next generation of women are empowered to reach their full potential.

Despite the substantial advancements in many countries, some very sobering statistics remain. Of the 793 million illiterate people in the world, two-thirds are female. And although there has been a worldwide increase in the enrollment of girls in primary schools, there remains a substantial gender gap at the secondary level. This is particularly true in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, where—according to a World Development Report—there were only 66 female tertiary students for every 100 male students.

It is widely known that educating girls is one of the most powerful and effective ways to address global poverty, but the barriers to education facing girls in the developing world go far beyond simple economics. Girls are often tapped to help in the home, including several hours of housework and sibling care before and after school, and parents may be reluctant to allow their daughters to trek the lengthy distances to school. Cultural bias only compounds these issues.

One of the most powerful ways to support girls to overcome these barriers is by acting as advocates. At Room to Read, our advocacy efforts include enlisting family support, engaging with governments and communities, and providing life skills workshops for girls. We also employ social mobilizers, women who serve as role models and counselors, and help girls navigate their individual journeys.

The power of advocacy is clear in stories like that of Suma Tharu, one of our Girls' Education scholars who was invited to perform at this week's Women in the World Summit, hosted by The Daily Beast and Newsweek in New York City. Such an invitation would no doubt have been unimaginable to Suma as a young girl trapped as an indentured servant in Nepal’s illegal Kamlari system, but today she stands as a thriving example of what a quality education and a lot of determination can yield. At 19, Suma is expected to complete secondary school in March 2014, and has plans to become an advocate herself.

Despite all the challenges that Suma has faced, her thoughts are focused on the needs of other girls. At this week’s summit, Suma will share with the world a song she wrote about the challenges faced by girls in the Kamlari system—giving a voice to a community whose struggles are often overlooked. We first heard Suma's song when she shared it with the producers of 10x10, a feature film and social action campaign aimed at highlighting the stories of 10 girls from 10 countries as they struggle to earn an education. When she returns to Nepal, Suma plans to become a health teacher, so that she may educate and empower other young girls.

The need for advocacy is not limited to girls and women in developing countries.  In 1950, only one-third of working-age women in America had a paid job, a figure that has now been doubled. Despite this incredible advancement however, women still represent less than 15 percent of corporate executives and board members at top companies. More alarmingly, only three percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.

Although there are undoubtedly numerous contributory factors inherent in such inequalities, a recent study revealed that one of the key issues for women as they seek to advance in business is a lack of senior executives who would advocate for them; someone who could help navigate the internal politics in companies. Men were much more likely to have such an advocate to help guide and facilitate their advancement.

So on International Women’s Day, let us all look toward ways to advocate for girls and women—those in our personal lives, professional networks or in the world at large. Perhaps Suma’s courage can guide and inspire us, an extraordinary example that no matter what challenges we may be faced with, there may still be room in our lives to advocate for another.

Watch the live stream of Suma's performance in New York today at 6:30 PM EST or Saturday, March 10 at 11:00 AM EST, and find out how you can support girls like her across the developing world on our website.

This blog post was adapted from International Women's Day: Advancing the Next Generation of Gals, originally published by the Huffington Post on March 8, 2012.

From Nepal to New York City: Suma's Story

“I am happy when I am at school,” says Suma Tharu.

Outside of the tenth grade classroom where she spends most days, Suma seems the picture of a thriving young woman, but her story is one of extraordinary struggle. The only girl of four children born to illiterate parents in Nepal’s Bardiya district, Suma was contracted into indentured servitude at only six years old and sent to work in another family’s home.

Suma endured six years of labor and abuse in three different homes, trapped with thousands of other young girls in Nepal’s Kamlari system. When she returned home at the age of 12, she was unable to communicate even with her family. Sent away at such a young age, Suma had forgotten how to speak her own native language. 

Despite her late start and difficult childhood, Suma was determined to get an education. In 2008 she was accepted into our Girls’ Education program, and joined the seventh grade at the age of 16 with the help of some remedial education classes. In addition to material support, Suma was introduced to a social mobilizer (mentor) and invited to attend life skills training to help her transition back into mainstream society.

The life skills training also helped Suma develop the confidence she needed to stand up for herself. “I said to my mother: you gave birth to your sons and you gave birth to me, why discriminate? We are equals and I deserve the same opportunities.” Slowly, she says, her parents’ attitudes and behavior have begun to change.

Now 19, Suma is on track to graduate from secondary school in the spring of 2014 and has set her sights on a career as a health educator so that she can help empower more girls in her community.

Along with Suma, 655 other ex-Kamlari girls are currently enrolled in our Girls’ Education program in Bardiya. Working in partnership with Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation/Friends of Needy Children, who rescue Kamlari girls from bonded labor, Room to Read seeks to help eradicate the now illegal, but still widely culturally-accepted practice.

As part of her healing process, Suma wrote a song about her struggle to pursue an education, and has been invited to perform it—and share her story—at the Women in the World 2012 Summit hosted by Newsweek and The Daily Beast in New York City. 

Watch the live stream of her performances Thursday, March 8 at 6:30pm EST and Saturday, March 10 at 11:30am EST. Her story will also be featured in the groundbreaking 10x10 film, which tells the stories of 10 extraordinary girls from 10 countries who have overcome significant challenges in their quest to complete their education.

New School of Thought Helps Promote Literacy in Nepal's Classrooms

The moment she enters her first grade classroom, Amrita Thapa heads straight for the supply cabinet tucked away in the corner. She shuffles through the myriad of educational materials stored there, and arranges a few of them in a neat pile, ready to begin the day’s lesson.

“What is this letter?” she says, holding up the first card.

The students recognize the consonant immediately. “Ka,” they respond excitedly in unison. Increasing the degree of difficulty, Ms. Thapa pulls two other cards from the pile, and holds them up with the first letter.

“What is this word?” she asks with a smile.

“Ka, Ma, La,” the students respond in chorus, pronouncing the letters one at a time. And then—after a brief pause—“Kamala!”

“What is a Kamala?” challenges Ms. Thapa.

“Kamala is a flower!” one student chimes in; “I have seen it!” says another. “It was in the pond, and very big,” adds the first grader, stretching out her hands for effect.

At this point, the students are instructed to write down the spelling of their new word—Kamala—in their workbooks, and the room goes silent, except for the furious rustling of paper and pencils.

This is how Ms. Thapa’s class begins each day, ever since she started participating in Room to Read’s Reading & Writing Instruction program. 

“Back when I started teaching,” she says, “teachers generally sped through the course. The lessons were not enjoyable for the students and most had trouble catching up. We lacked the essential resources to make learning enjoyable.”

In addition to changing her approach to teaching, Ms. Thapa says the program has helped her—and others at Shree Jwalamukhi Lower Secondary School—focus more on outcomes. Before the training from Room to Read, she says, “rarely was the question asked: Were the students learning?”

As it turned out, many were not. When Room to Read began its intervention at Shree Jwalamukhi, located in Nepal’s Dhading district, most first grade students were struggling to keep up with the curriculum, and many were reading below grade level. Studies of the surrounding area confirmed that the problem was widespread.

Through in-service training, material development and the assistance of on-site literacy facilitators, Shree Jwalamukhi is steadily adding more innovative teaching methods to its literacy curriculum. “We have learned to center our teaching around the students and not the other way around,” says Ms. Thapa. “With resources like the word charts and alphabet cards, the lessons have become more interactive and fun for the students.”

And she is already seeing results. “Students are finding it easier to associate letters with their respective sounds and vice versa,” she says. “After every lesson, I devise a game, a song or a story to reinforce it—their knowledge builds with each passing day!”

Reflecting on her experience so far, Ms. Thapa says, “my favorite part of the program is the creative freedom it gives to teachers. It inspires me to give my very best.”

Watch a video about our Reading & Writing Instruction program, or learn more about our work in Nepal.

Making the Most of a Second Chance in Nepal

“I want to lead a worthwhile life, and I know for sure that my education will take me places,” says 15-year-old Phulmati Tharu, but her future hasn’t always looked so bright.

At the age of eight, Phulmati was forced to leave the second grade, her family and everything else she’d ever known to enter a new life as an indentured servant for a family wealthier than hers in a village far away. She spent four long years as a Kamlari—an illegal but culturally accepted practice in some parts of Nepal by which parents enter a contract to have their daughters work as bonded laborers. As a servant in Nepalgunj for a family of five she was expected to work around the clock, leaving no time to attend school. “Those were indeed dark days,” she says.

Then, in 2008, Phulmati received some very good news. The local government and several nonprofits in the area were cracking down on indentured servitude and called back hundreds of girls working as Kamlari. “Coming back home after four arduous years of labor was a memorable moment,” says Phulmati of her return. “I recall walking down the lane to my house and seeing all of my family members who had gathered to welcome me back.”

After her rescue, Phulmati was accepted into Room to Read’s Girls’ Education program, and immediately began an intensive bridge course to help her catch up to grade level. She finished the bridge course, which normally takes 6-9 months to complete, in just four months—driven to use her second chance in school to create a better life for herself.

“One day when I was working as a Kamlari in Nepalgunj,” she recalls, “I had to do all the grocery shopping and felt ashamed that I couldn’t do simple addition.” She believed she had been shortchanged, but couldn’t be sure. “At that moment,” says Phulmati, ”I realized how important education was, and made up my mind that if I should ever go to school again, I would make the best of that opportunity.”

Now a seventh grader at Shree Prithivi Lower Secondary School, Phulmati has become a dedicated student and avid reader. “I was devoid of the company of the books for four years,” she says. “Our school now has a beautiful library with scores of books that have helped me a lot to progress in my studies.”

And that’s not all that has changed in her life. Phulmati says her family now supports her 100 percent in pursuing her education. Two years ago, when her school partnered with Room to Read’s School Construction program to add more classrooms, her brother was first in line to volunteer labor to the project.

“He dedicated most of his time to constructing the new building, even though he had other commitments,” she recalls. “He said that no sister of his belongs in a school without decent buildings.”

Learn more about our Girls’ Education and School Construction programs.

Decades After Helping Build his Community's First School, One Man's Commitment to Education Endures

Summer in the Dhading district of Nepal can be brutally hot, and the red clay (for which the region is known) doesn’t help. On most days, few would venture outdoors in such weather—taking shelter in their homes, but there is one man who remains undaunted by the sweltering temperatures.

At 78 years old, Buddhi Bahadur Raj is the picture of concentration, digging a wide trench in the clay. Nearby, a group of assistants—many half his age—dig alongside him in rhythmic unison. As the day wears on, the small crew is joined by many others from the village carrying shovels, pick-axes and whatever other tools they can find. Despite the oppressive heat, there is a palpable air of festivity among the group.

They have gathered here today to build a new school for their children, and everyone looks to Buddhi Bahadur Raj for direction.  He is the leader today not only for his expertise in engineering and architecture, but also for his unwavering passion for education.

Decades ago in this same spot, Buddhi Bahadur Raj volunteered his labor to help construct the original building for Shree Rakta Bachala Secondary School. Originally built to accommodate only one village, the school now serves students from the surrounding area as well and needs more space to alleviate overcrowding. Room to Read has partnered with the community to add new classrooms and better restrooms.

“It has been very difficult for our students to study because the old classrooms are very small in size,” says Mr. Acharya, the school’s headmaster. “Now they can easily move from one place to another and focus on their class work."

Mr. Acharya credits the community for the new school building coming to fruition, and Buddhi Bahadur Raj for his leadership. “When Rai learned that we were going to add another building he was very happy and promptly volunteered to help, even though we were hesitant to have him do such physical labor,” he says.  Buddhi Bahadur Raj was insistent, however, and as Mr. Acharya puts it, “he was the first one here this morning—ahead of all the others.”

Learn more about our School Room program.

Library in Nepal Turns Primary School Children into Public Health Activists

Saroj Lama and Anita Bista are 5^th grade students at the Shree Pratibha Primary School in the Kavre region of Nepal. Plagued by high illiteracy rates, the Kavre region also suffers from a widespread lack of awareness regarding proper health and sanitation. The streets are often littered with trash, putting the community, and children in particular, at risk for injury or disease.

Anita and Saroj had never given much thought to the negative implications of their community’s sanitation issues until one day they came upon a book on the subject at their school’s Room to Read library. That day, the two students turned into budding community health activists.

Inspired by their new-found knowledge, Anita and Saroj started a grassroots program at their school to improve their community’s health and sanitation record. “We looked around our littered village and decided it was high time we did something to clean the mess up,” says Saroj, who immediately began rallying support from parents and teachers at his school.

Together he and Anita initiated a door-to-door awareness campaign that had them performing songs with their fellow students throughout the community about the importance of proper hygiene and waste disposal practices.

“The library encouraged them to think outside their comfort zone,” says one teacher, who helped Anita and Saroj with their project.

“The books about the environment helped us visualize what we wanted to achieve,” echoes Anita. “With our vision clear, it was easy to share it and to convince the community to help us conserve our shared environment.”

Thanks to Anita and Saroj, the streets of their small community in the Kavre region are cleaner than ever, and perhaps more importantly, they have witnessed first-hand the power a few dedicated individuals have to create positive change in their community.

Read more about our work establishing libraries or about our programs in Nepal.

Don't forget to help us spread the word this month about our campaigns for literacy!

Join our tweet campaign! Each RT will donate $1 to our literacy programs in Asia and Africa (up to $30,000) thanks to Random House, Inc. Click to Tweet!

 

Throughout September, all donations to our library programs will be matched up to $40,000 thanks to our partner, Better World Books. Click to donate.

Taking Literacy to New Heights

We’re always amazed by the creative (and yes, sometimes extreme) fundraising campaigns that Room to Read supporters come up with. Take, for example, our friend Rob Hart…

Rob has been climbing some of the world’s tallest peaks at the rate of one per year since 2003. The South African native (now based in Singapore) says he understands that, “the attraction of frozen digits, howling winds, and inedible food eludes many,” but none of those things were going to stop him from summiting the world’s tallest peak, Mount Everest, this year. And what’s more, he decided to turn his personal quest into a fundraiser for Room to Read, and carried a flag with our logo on it all the way to the top. 

Hart says he chose Room to Read as the beneficiary of his efforts based on our record of efficiency—having grown up in Africa, he says, “I’ve seen the amount of money wasted by NGO’s on Land Rovers and the like across the continent, it was heartening to find a charity that doesn’t waste money.” He chose to designate the funds raised to projects in Nepal, where he would be climbing, and South Africa, the country of his birth.

Hart reached the summit of Everest on March 14, and hot on his heels is another group of Room to Read supporters—13 work colleagues from Penguin Group in the UK. For some, the Everest Base Camp Trek will be their first major climbing adventure, like Helen Atkinson, who describes herself as “a fair-weather walker that’s never been at any kind of altitude.” She and the rest of her group will commence their journey on October 22, and will finish with a visit to Room to Read's projects in Nepal. We wish them the best of luck!

Feeling inspired? You don't have to be a mountain-climber to start your very own fundraising campaign for Room to Read.

Photo credit: Rob Hart atop Mount Everest (courtesy of subject).

Homecoming in Nepal: Anita and Anju Reunite with Mom

Kamlari is a historically accepted social custom among the indigenous Tharu community in Nepal, in which poor families contract out their daughters into bonded labor. While the practice is now technically illegal, an estimated 20,000 Kamlari girls are still living as indentured laborers. Room to Read's Girls' Education program is one of the many levers of change being used to help free these girls and provide them with access to a quality education. Anita and Anju Tharu are two such girls.

***

Winter in the flatlands of Bardiya can be quite unpredictable, especially when hanging laundry outside on the line. As sisters Anita and Anju found out, when you hang your clothes out to dry, the weather might not cooperate. On a cold morning recently, Anita rushed to school wearing a blue skirt, a blue shirt and a blue sweater—the ubiquitous school uniform in Nepali schools. Once in class, she spread out her skirt and sat on the driest part. Anita had argued with her mother that morning about attending school in damp clothes. She diligently sat near the hearth, waved her skirt about in the air, and hoped and prayed her skirt would be dry enough to attend class. She had succeeded.

 

Her older sister, Anju, wasn’t so lucky and had to skip school that day. “I’d take school over staying home any day,” said Anju.  “I’m wondering what my sister is doing right now. Maybe she’s studying. Yes, I know she is. She frets about missing her lessons. I bet she’s even completing assignments in new chapters!” she exclaimed in envy.

It hasn’t been long since the Tharu sisters re-enrolled in school. Their attendance symbolizes the girls’ struggle for education and freedom.

It all started with a fight that landed their father in jail. With the family's main breadwinner unable to support them, Anita and Anju's mother, Rama Tharu, made an extremely difficult and painful choice: she asked her daughters to drop out of school. As their education came to an abrupt halt, their lives as Kamlaris—or bonded laborers—began. Gone were the days of careless mischief, or running around in the fields and coming home from school and finding a hot meal waiting for them. Those days were to be replaced by endless hours of chores, including caring for children who were not much older than them. At the time they left school to become Kamlari workers, Anju was just 11 years old and Anita was 10.

“Seeing my daughters go was the hardest blow," says Rama. "Suddenly I was all alone.” Her days without her two daughters were lonely. “Those two years were the slowest years I’ve ever faced. I would work through the entire day, plowing fields and doing any other manual labor that came my way.”

Since her husband was in jail, local work was hard to find. The community around her stigmatized Rama and her family, forcing her to commute longer distances to find work. Nevertheless, she prevailed and vowed to make her daughters stop working as soon as she could afford to do so. Her hope resurfaced when the 
Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation (NYOF), a Room to Read partner organization, started a campaign to end the Kamlari pratha, or system. With their assistance, and after two long years of constant labor, Anita and Anju were finally rescued and brought back home.

“Homecoming was great,” remembers Anju. “We hadn't had the chance to see each  other much during the past two years and when we finally got to see each other, it was something else. We all cried sweet tears of joy.” That night, Rama and her daughters sat down in their small kitchen, made a fire and cooked up their first homemade meal together in years.

Through Room to Read’s partnership with NYOF and the Girl's Education program, Anita and Anuj were able to re-enroll in school. Being selected for the program meant that the girls could continue their studies and focus on their education, forever ending their lives at Kamlari workers. Both of the girls are attending Shree Tribhuwan Higher Secondary School, where Anita is now in 5th grade and Anju is in 7th grade. Anita dreams of becoming a business owner. “As soon as I am able to do so,” she says, “I want to help my mother so that we don’t have to struggle financially anymore.”  Anju wants to study for as long as possible and ensure she can do it well.  “I had never thought that I’d be able to go to school again. Now that I have the chance I want to utilize it well,” she says.

Only 5 days left! All gifts made to our Girls’ Education program during the month of May will be matched up to $350,000. Support the next generation of women today at www.roomtoread.org/MayMatch.

 

A Mother’s Wish for Her Daughter: A New Proverb

Room to Read is conducting a post-secondary transition study of our Girls’ Education Program. Researcher and guest blogger, Kirsten Anderson, travelled to India, Nepal, Vietnam and Cambodia to interview current Girls’ Education Program scholars, alumnae and their parents. In celebration of Mother’s Day in many countries, Kirsten shares her conversations with the mothers of some of our scholars in Nepal. This is the second in the series of blog posts from her travels (read her previous post here). Findings from the post-secondary study will be released later this year. 

***

Sitting in the shadow of the majestic Himalayas in Nepal, Dilmaya, a mother of one of the Girls’ Education Program scholars described her childhood:

"When I was young I went to school for two days. I had to walk two hours. My family refused to give me food because they didn’t want me to study. They thought that if girls studied, we would write letters to boys. So I gave up my dream of education because I couldn’t go without food.

Later, when I got married, my parents told me 'Santan le dadha kadha dhakos' (which translates to 'May you have children to reach from the Himalayas to the plains'). That is why we have so many children. We really used to think it was a good idea to have many children."

The other mothers in the group nodded and smiled in agreement. They remembered that particular proverb well. Their ancestors wished them a future of many children—a wish that had come true for all of them. Among them, only Dilmaya could sign her name on our interview consent form. The other mothers watched as she very carefully wrote each of the letters of her name. She had been taught to write her name by her daughter, a participant of Room to Read's Girls' Educaton program.

When asked a probing question about what the mothers wished for their daughters’ futures, they described a future that included finishing their studies, acquiring a higher education, finding a good job, and making their own decisions about marriage. Dilmaya added:

"I have six daughters and one son but I don’t differentiate between my son and my daughters; they are all equals to me. But it’s really difficult to manage everyone’s education. We have a constant financial problem. It’s been six years since I have been involved with Room to Read. My daughter is working very hard. In addition to studying, she helps to look after the house and also helps to sell wool. She likes studying computers. I want her to get a job in the computer field. I have suffered a lot because I’m uneducated—but I want my children to be educated."

Another mother agreed, “In our generation, we would tell our daughters to get married, have children and have a good life. But now life is different. I want my daughter to be independent and have her own job and do well in her life. I want her to be able to make her own decisions in life. That is what I wish for my daughter.”

In conversations across Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, and India, the young women in our Girls’ Education Program overwhelmingly agree that the support of their mothers is crucial. Mothers often take on extra work to support their daughter’s education and without their mothers’ help, it would be next to impossible for these girls to continue their studies.

Sitting in the shadow of the Himalayas, Dilmaya and several other mothers sat together and joked. They were optimistic about the lives their daughters may have. They described a changing world where the proverbs of the past no longer apply. And they expressed hope that future Nepali proverbs might include wishes for young women to be independent, educated, employed and able to make their own decisions about marriage and family.

Dilmaya spoke with assurance when she said, "I want my daughter to follow her dream and become a success in her life. If young women are educated and independent—that is a great combination. Study and aim high."

 

All gifts matched through May 31! From now through the end of May, all donations to our Girls’ Education program will be matched up to $250,000. Honor mom -- or any other special person that has shaped your life -- by supporting the next generation of women. www.roomtoread.org/MayMatch.

Making the Transition: Graduates Surveyed about Life After Room to Read

Room to Read is committed to tracking results and improving programming. Our monitoring and evaluations team conducts studies on an on-going basis, and this year, we are conducting a post-secondary school transition study of our Girls’ Education program participants. In November 2010, Kirsten Anderson joined Room to Read as the Girls’ Education Program Fellow to conduct this study. She began research in India and shares her thoughts and experiences of conducting fieldwork with our inspiring girls. Stay tuned for updates from Kirsten’s research in India, Nepal, Vietnam and Cambodia over the next several months.

***

Weaving in and out of Delhi’s traffic on dusty streets, the research assistants and I finally arrived at our destination—a poor urban community located on the back side of an old fort wall. We had scheduled a focus group with four young women, each the first person in their family to graduate from 12th grade. This was our first day of research and our task was to make sure our freshly translated interview questions made sense for the young women we were interviewing.

The day was bitterly cold, and fifteen minutes into our first focus group, the power went out. For the young women we were interviewing, power cuts are a common occurrence. They didn’t even flinch and continued to talk about their financial struggles and having to balance work with university courses. For the research team, the darkness was a frustrating disruption. Not only is it hard to take notes and refer to the list of interview questions, reading facial expressions and body language in the dark is next to impossible. But the darkness was also a blessing, as it allowed us to really focus on the women’s voices—to listen to the details of their stories and feel what they were saying.

As of December 2010, 234 of Room to Read's Girls’ Education program scholars from India, Nepal, Vietnam and Cambodia have graduated from secondary school. This number will quickly multiply as the Girls’ Education program provides scholarships and material support to more than 10,000 girls across eight countries. What are the young women doing now? What do they plan to do in the next ten years? How has Room to Read influenced their lives and their goals?

For the next four months, the research team and I will conduct interviews and focus groups with the program’s recent and upcoming graduates. The purpose of this study is to learn more about how these young women navigate this time of transition and opportunity. How do they make decisions about higher education, employment, as well as marriage and possibly parenthood? What are their challenges? What are their success stories? The stories they share of their struggles, accomplishments and ambitions will teach us and inform our current and future programming, and give us insight as to how we can better prepare future graduates.

Collecting these stories, however, requires constantly balancing the rigors of research and the realities of the field. It means listening intently, asking the right questions and learning about the whole person and her story.

We recently met with a young woman who had just graduated from 12th grade. Her shaky hands and quick, quivering voice were not the results of the Delhi winter, but of an obvious sense of shyness and nervousness. Midway through, she stopped to tell us that she did not usually develop bonds with adults so easily, but she felt comfortable with us and wanted to share her story. She talked about her future ambition: to study English, to get a job and to support her family. She described her family and how her parents have supported her education—sometimes giving up meals to pay additional fees for her and her sister. Wanting to maintain an objective distance, the research assistant and I quickly busied ourselves with our notes so as not to show our eyes tearing.

As we presented her with a small thank you gift—a notebook and pen—she thanked us for giving her the opportunity to share her story. Yet, I am the thankful one. I am humbled and honored to spend time with these young women—so full of courage, strength and determination.

Every day, we emerge from our interviews to a different Delhi—warmer as the days grow longer. We have adjusted our vision, as these young women do every day when they think about and plan for their future. We anticipate our next interviews with a renewed sense of hope and focus.

Read more about how Room to Read tracks results in its programs.