International Women's Day - Breaking Biases and Barriers

Celebrated every year on March 8, International Women’s Day honors women’s social, cultural and political achievements while calling for an end to gender inequality. The 2022 theme, Break the Bias, speaks to the heart of C2C’s mission to empower girls with the knowledge needed not only to break down societal barriers but to chart their own future.

International Women’s Day celebrates the power of women as leaders and change-makers, which in turn elevates the status of women everywhere. C2C’s direct, hands-on approach to educating girls fulfills this same goal. By giving girls practical tools through STEM training and life skills development, C2C sets them on the path to leadership and self-autonomy.

C2C’s success is most evident in the stories of the girls who have benefited from our classes and programs. Girls like Bindu and Gayathri came to C2C’s partner schools from impoverished backgrounds in which education was not feasible. After excelling in their studies, learning life skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving, and discovering the depths of their own abilities, both Bindu and Gayathri continue to pursue their goal of becoming engineers. Women have often confronted barriers to success in the STEM industry, but when equipped with the right skills and training, girls like Bindu and Gayathri know they have the power to overcome those obstacles and to pursue their own choice of career.

C2C also emphasizes the importance of creativity, another key component of International Women’s Day. Creative pursuits such as art, poetry, and journal-writing are powerful media for change. Through our Journaling program in which girls write and/or draw their personal thoughts and feelings, C2C encourages them to strengthen their self-awareness and to relate their feelings to the world around them–a first step in becoming an agent of social change.

Women from underserved communities often confront barriers in the forms of language and technology. Without access to phones, computers, or internet connections, many girls and women throughout the world don’t have the resources to become informed or to make their voices heard. C2C seeks to rectify this imbalance by providing girls with English skills and practical training on internet use, cybersecurity, typing, and computer literacy. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, we also provided girls and their families with technology and Wi-Fi connectivity to allow them to continue their education and stay informed.

C2C supports International Women’s Day mission to “Break the Bias” and to amplify women’s voices and power on a global scale. As they gain both a comprehensive education and practical knowledge through C2C programs, girls learn how to use all the tools they possess to break down both biases and barriers.

STEM Learning and the Power of Choice

C2C empowers girls with the skills and knowledge necessary for a successful, fulfilling future. Our mission includes an emphasis on STEM programming, which is especially pertinent in the wake of the pandemic as the worldwide demand for technology and digitization has risen dramatically. As a result, the tech industry in India provides increasingly advantageous opportunities for our proactive, engaged students. 

In strengthening the C2C curriculums, we have expanded our programs to address current IT issues, teach hands-on tasks, and encourage creativity. By combining tech programs with our life-skills training, we provide girls with the essential tools for gainful employment, personal safety and security, critical thinking, and overall well-being.

Cyber Security Workshop

On every level of society–from individuals to corporations–cyber security is a complex, ongoing concern. In late 2021, C2C provided our teenage students with a series of Powerpoint and video webinars to raise awareness about the ways in which their online activities–and areas of their personal lives–can be compromised. We addressed issues such as password and social media management, phishing, identity theft risks, and online payment methods. 

By knowing how to take necessary precautions while online, girls are better able to protect themselves from malicious cyberattacks. In addition to increasing their confidence in the digital world, this proactive awareness encourages the girls to use problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. 

Anatomy of PC systems

In December 2021, C2C provided girls aged 13-16 with workshops on assembling and disassembling PC-based computer systems, including the CPU. This activity is often used in computer labs across India as a training tool. By taking apart and putting together the computer, girls learned about the different components of the system and worked with specific tools and technical equipment. They also learned about software applications, such as how to install the Windows 10 operating system in PCs. This understanding of how systematic computer operations work adds yet another building block to the C2C girls’ educational and practical skills foundation.

Learning Programming via Gamification

Learning programming via gamification, an ongoing activity in C2C’s Techlab curriculum, strongly encourages the expression of ideas and creativity. Students employ Scratch, a free, easy-to-use, block-based programming tool. Used in many school systems throughout the world, Scratch is often a novel and innovative learning tool for the underprivileged girls served by C2C. Scratch users can create interactive stories, games, and animations, then share their favorite creations with a vibrant, global online community. 

By using Scratch, C2C girls learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively—all essential skills for the 21st century. To streamline the learning process, C2C provides notes, interactive projects, worksheets, and assignments for different levels. C2C girls use Scratch in a wide range of activities involving space, time, trigonometry, geometry, loops, conditional sequencing of tasks, etc. By understanding the intricacies of programming, girls develop a greater interest in technology-related careers.

C2C’s fusion of technology with life-skills training provides girls with both the knowledge and confidence necessary to pursue their future careers. C2C’s programs also align with the employment needs of the country, opening up a world of opportunities for girls and giving them the power to choose their own life’s path.

Prioritizing Life Skills Development

The term “life skills” is often used to describe certain abilities necessary for a person’s overall independence and well-being, but it can be challenging to pin down the specifics. What, exactly, are “life skills?” Why are they important? Why and how should we teach them to children and adolescents?

Life skills are defined as adaptive and positive behaviors that enable people to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of life. Such abilities include problem-solving, decision-making, conflict resolution, self-reflection, communication, critical and creative thinking, financial literacy, and building healthy interpersonal relationships. 

While people of all ages and on all socioeconomic levels need these abilities for productive, healthy lives, it is especially important for at-risk youth to develop life skills as they transition into adulthood. The benefits of life-skills training for adolescents are immeasurable, including greater self-esteem, enhanced personal and social success, a decrease in negative behaviors like drug and alcohol abuse, and stronger social networks.

Yet throughout the world, many girls in particular are hindered by a lack of life skills knowledge, which creates another obstacle on their path to self-autonomy. A large study commissioned by the Malala Foundation determined that 74% of girls living in middle-income countries like India are missing necessary life skills. The impoverished girls C2C serves often come from backgrounds where life skills are not prioritized. 

At C2C, we believe that life skills are an integral part of educating and empowering girls. Life skills development not only allows girls to put their knowledge to practical use, it strengthens their confidence, promotes their personal and social development, and builds a strong foundation for their future wellness, stability, and success. 

But a textbook or formal curriculum can’t fully teach a student how to understand or apply such abilities as self-reflection or conflict resolution. Rather, life skills are best learned through firsthand experiences and examples, personal interactions, and practical application. To help our students develop these skills, C2C incorporates the 4Cs—Confidence, Creativity, Communication, and Critical Thinking—into all of our team-based programs.

Each One Teach One

Life skills activities in Gujarat, India

The Each One, Teach One initiative began in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and provides an experiential-based method of learning life skills. Through the program, C2C girls volunteer to teach grammar, sentence construction, and use of diction to local children whose schools have been shut down. Not only does the initiative teach the girls about character, volunteerism, and community outreach—all important life skills—it also enhances their confidence and fluency in the spoken English language.

C2C promotes self-reflection through our Journaling program in which girls are encouraged to write and/or draw their personal thoughts and feelings. The act of writing serves as a mindfulness tool to anchor writers in the present, making them more confident in themselves and their surroundings. As the girls engage with their thoughts, they strengthen their self-awareness, which in turn allows them to develop an understanding of their own feelings and behaviors both internally and in relation to others. 

This video highlights the creative power of the girls’ journaling practice:

The Youth4Goals program activates young people to help achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the creation of a better world. The goals are related to global issues such as poverty, gender equality, sustainable cities, clean water, and quality education. Through C2C’s TechLab program, C2C girls contribute to SDGs by proposing innovative and scalable IT solutions to tackle social issues. Some project examples include an app to help people donate goods and services locally, and an app to provide information about menstruation—all in local dialects. Through this exercise, the girls learn to delegate, work as a team, and tackle complex problems while also reinforcing their empowerment as global citizens.

There is statistical proof that girls benefit greatly from the incorporation of life-skills training in an educational setting. Girls who engage in life-skills development have lower dropout rates, improved social and emotional support, and a greater interest in their future. By incorporating critical life-skills training into all areas of our programming, C2C seeks to equip girls with the tools and abilities necessary for agency, well-being, and the strength to overcome challenges as they chart their life’s path.

References:

https://voxdev.org/topic/labour-markets-migration/impact-school-based-life-skills-classes-adolescent-girls-india

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6776953/

https://www.issuelab.org/resources/2459/2459.pdf

In solidarity with girls around the world on this International Day of the Girl

In 2011, the United Nations established the International Day of the Girl as a way to both amplify the voices of girls throughout the world and to underscore the critical obstacles they face in the pursuit of education, gender equality, healthcare, and socio-economic prosperity. Numerous reports prove that educating girls leads to stronger, healthier, and more resilient societies. Yet many countries either fail to make education for girls a national priority, or they seek to ban it altogether, often through methods of violence and terror.

            Right now, the threat to girls’ education is most devastatingly apparent in Afghanistan, where the return of the Taliban to power has already suppressed the hard-won educational advances that girls and young women have earned. Over the past twenty years, Afghani women have obtained university degrees and pursued careers in medicine, law, science, and business.

            Now that crucial progress is at risk as the Taliban has ordered many women to stop working and attending school. The government has also begun imposing severe restrictions on girls’ schools, dress, classroom segregation, and curriculum, thereby forcing many teachers and students across the country to flee or go into hiding. Women and girls fear for their physical safety, especially in districts where the Taliban is still fighting for control.

            Yet despite their fears and uncertain future, Afghani girls continue to advocate for themselves and their right to an education. “If men can fight the Taliban by guns and artillery,” says eighteen-year-old Behishta, who dreams of becoming an English translator, “we women can defend ourselves through our thinking — and not give in.” A fourteen-year-old girl in Kabul says, “It’s our choice and our right to go to school, to get an education. It’s important to give yourself hopes and dreams.”

            This is the very premise upon which C2C programs are based. In our support of Indian and South Asian girls, we endorse the truth that girls in every country in the world have the right to a comprehensive education that will put them on a path to self-autonomy. We stand with Afghani girls and their advocates as they confront the threat of governmental suppression and the outright ban of their education. Barring girls from schools and universities, and forcing them into repressive, constricting roles, will have disastrous consequences for all levels of society and the economy.

            Educating girls means giving them the power to shape their own lives while simultaneously investing in the country’s future. Our C2C students are proof of how education can change society for the better. Dhara and Rakshaben, students from a C2C partner school, are now fulfilling their goals of becoming doctors and have plans to help impoverished people in the rural villages where they once lived. Over 4,500 girls whom C2C has served, have gained the education and skills needed to establish professional careers that will allow them to support themselves, their families, and their communities.

            The International Day of the Girl gives the world an opportunity to shine a much-needed spotlight on the barriers that many girls confront as they seek an education. However, the struggle has been ongoing for years and, as we see in Afghanistan, a return to oppressive rule can threaten and reverse positive advances all too rapidly.

            At C2C, we will continue our programs with the ideology that supporting education for girls must be a continuous initiative on a global scale. All governments must recognize that providing girls with practical tools and knowledge will lead to positive, sustainable change. All counties must also take action when the right to education is severely threatened. “Don’t avert your eyes,” says Shabana Basij-Rasikh, a teacher who escaped Kabul with 250 students and staff after the Taliban’s return to power. “See those girls.”

https://time.com/6078072/afghanistan-withdrawal-taliban-girls-education/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/20/world/asia/afghan-girls-schools-taliban.html

https://www.rescue.org/article/millions-afghan-girls-may-not-go-back-school-september             

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/aug/25/afghanistan-teachers-defend-girls-education-taliban-international-aid

Young Women Pursue Medical Degrees, Empowered by C2C

Dhara, currently a pre-med student.

In a rural area of Gujarat on India’s west coast, nearly 200 adolescent girls are enrolled in Eklavya Model Residential School of Muni Seva Ashram (MSA), a C2C partner that serves poverty-stricken tribal communities. At MSA, nearly 100 girls participate in English language classes and C2C’s TECHLAB program, which is made possible by our donors and generous grant funding from the Guru Krupa Foundation. In these classes, students have the opportunity to develop strong reading, writing, and computer skills as well as to learn important life skills like confidence, creativity, communication, and critical thinking.

Dhara Rathva, 18, enrolled in MSA when she was eleven years old. After seven years at MSA, she is now on track to become a medical student, pursuing her MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine degree, equivalent to a pre-med major in the United States). Dhara aims to help disadvantaged people who live in rural villages, just as she once did. Her education with C2C empowered her to pursue her dreams and give back to her community. Like her parents, Dhara values education:

“It allows people to live their lives independently,” she says.  

With C2C’s assistance, young women at MSA step outside of their comfort zones. Seventeen-year-old Pragati Rathva participated in the Each One, Teach One program, where older girls teach and mentor younger students after school. Pragati initially found teaching younger students to be challenging, but ultimately it was incredibly rewarding and became her favorite of C2C’s programs. This community-driven approach is especially valuable because it allows younger students to see people like themselves succeeding and thriving. Pragati is grateful to C2C for uplifting her and other girls through education, saying, “[C2C] helps us and gives us a chance to shine.” She is now studying for the NEET, an admissions exam for medical school. 

Rakshaben Rathva has also chosen to pursue a medical school degree. Like Dhara and Pragati, she began classes at MSA when she was eleven years old. She enjoyed the English and computer classes, and she was especially excited to learn how to use the internet. She is grateful to her C2C teachers for teaching her good values and respect for her culture. She is also in university now, working toward her medical degree by pursuing a pre-med major.

Dhara, Pragati, and Rakshaben are three of many girls and young women who have had the opportunity to learn and thrive at MSA with C2C curriculums. All three of them are empowered to pursue higher education, with the hope of becoming doctors, and ultimately give back to their communities. 

“An educated girl has direction,” Pragati says. “She has hope. She will become a mentor to other girls.”

Making dreams come true with our Vedic Maths program

Many of the girls C2C works with dream of pursuing careers in technology, medicine or economics. But with limited math skills, these dreams may never be realized. 

Most of the girls we serve are first-generation students who lack a strong background in critical thinking and reasoning skills. This makes it difficult for them to excel in math and undermines their self-confidence, leading to weak performance in other subjects. That’s why C2C and its partner centers decided to launch the Vedic maths program. 

Vedic maths consist of a combination of techniques (or sutras) that enables students to solve math problems much more quickly. Over the past ten years, this form of math has gained tremendous popularity across India, notably for its ability to increase the speed at which students solve mathematical problems by as much as ten times. 

But while schools and orphanages across India are aware of Vedic maths as a key to overcoming their girls’ math deficiencies, finding passionate, qualified teachers who can accommodate their small budgets proves nearly impossible. In fact, because of their high costs, Vedic math programs are generally limited to expensive private schools. 

That’s where C2C came in. Using our experience and networks in the K-12 education space, we covered the cost of the curriculum delivery and mobilized a teacher to work with several of our partner centers via remote teaching solutions.

The Vedic maths classes are typically offered for one hour, twice a week to the girls from grades 5 - 9. The first few minutes of every class are spent covering specialized techniques on how to solve complex mathematical problems by breaking it down into a series of sequential steps. For the rest of the class, students then practice these techniques through activities, worksheets and sample problems from competitive exams. 

These classes “help to eradicate [girls’] fear against math by making it simple, fun and mighty easy for students,” says Vedic maths tutor Ms. Shivani. “This in turn provides them with the confidence to tackle difficult problems across other subjects too, and results in an improved interest in academics.” 

While Ms. Shivani has noted some challenges like having to conduct classes online and push girls outside of their comfort zones (especially those already used to traditional math methods), the results of the program have been overwhelmingly positive. Within a single year, the girls improved their test scores by 17% and 3 of our girls were even admitted to prestigious medical schools in the state of Gujarat after scoring highly on the competitive entrance exams. 

The girls’ attitudes towards math have also completely changed thanks to the program. “I like to learn Vedic maths,” says Shashi, a C2C student. “Through this, I can easily solve my math problems. Before Vedic math classes, I had problems solving maths.” Pragati, another student, also notes that through Vedic maths, “we can learn maths with a little bit of fun” and that “ in the external competitive examination, Vedic maths tricks are very very useful and made [answering] questions easier than the normal math.” 

Over the past two years, the Vedic maths program has become an integral part of C2C’s offerings. According to Ms. Shivani, “C2C is the only NGO (I know of) offering Vedic Maths to such a diaspora,” which is why C2C is excited to be continuing the program and bringing it to three new centers in the coming academic year. We hope that the program will help more underprivileged girls build foundational and invaluable STEM skills and give them the confidence to pursue their dreams.

The challenges faced by underprivileged girls in India’s pandemic

As the tragedy in India persists, it disproportionately threatens the health and future of underprivileged girls. 

Over the past few weeks, India has struggled through its second deadly wave of COVID-19. The country recently became the third to surpass 300, 000 victims, nearly 100, 000 of which were recorded in the past month – although, numbers are thought to be in the millions with a significant portion of the population unable to access hospitals. Even with the rollout of the vaccines, it seems that there may be no end in sight anytime soon as India faces a severe shortage of vaccines with only 3.1% of people having received both doses. 

Though devastating for the entire country, the pandemic has especially taken its toll on the millions of children living in marginalized communities, many of whom have been left orphaned, hungry and forced to drop out of school. Girls have been disproportionately affected by the lockdown since March. Over the past year, many have been forced to drop out as educational expenses have become unbearable for families. Girls, in particular, are usually the first to drop out, often left out of household decisions and expected to take on domestic responsibilities or to help their parents with backbreaking labor. 

Even those who have remained in school are falling behind. Many girls have had to take away valuable time from their studies to perform household chores. Those in rural communities face the additional challenge of having unreliable access to digital devices and the internet. Remote learning has been particularly challenging for girls in marginalized areas, where families often share a single device. This device isn’t charged daily due to a lack of resources and is usually monopolized by men, especially when they migrate for work.

The shutdown of schools, and the pandemic more broadly, has also had devastating consequences on the health of underprivileged girls. As their families grapple with food shortages and unemployment, these girls have had to bear the brunt since they are typically the last in their households to eat. Those in school who relied on the Mid-day Meal program (the largest school feeding program in the world) for nutrition and food security are now forced to go without it and are at risk of being undernourished. 

Being isolated at home has additionally impacted girls’ mental health. Most children have been living in very close quarters with their family, cut off from their community and their friends. Women, especially, have seen a rise in domestic violence and abuse and have been unable to reach out to support systems. 

Yet, in the midst of these devastating reports, we are inspired by the resiliency of the girls we serve and by the stories of hope from around the world. State governments and individuals have rallied behind India, pledging aid. C2C has raised COVID-19 Response Funds through the unwavering support of our community and networks, including a generous grant from the Guru Krupa Foundation. These funds will help to ensure the girls we support are empowered to continue making progress in education and creating positive change in their communities. 

References:

https://time.com/6052370/modi-didnt-buy-enough-covid-19-vaccine/ 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12571-020-01065-4

https://malala.org/newsroom/archive/girls-education-and-covid-19-in-india

In honor of International Women's Day and Women's History Month

While every day is an opportunity to advocate for girls' education, we are thrilled to have the occasion of International Women’s Day and Women’s History month in March to properly celebrate and spotlight some of the C2C learners of today who will become our leaders of tomorrow. We invite you to read three recent stories from at-risk girls, who inspire us by demonstrating how they have overcome barriers and are empowered by C2C and education. 

Swathi

Swathi was only 9 months old when her father passed away. For all of her childhood, her mother has been a migrant worker. She travels to different farms--some five kilometers away--to help with vegetable crops. Her work hours start at 9am and end at 6pm. Because her mother is very tired, Swathi usually only sees her in the evenings.

Swathi came to one of C2C’s partner centers, CSS, in 2011. There, she has received a free education and an abundance of sisters. She has excelled in her studies. Recently, she competed in an essay competition about freedom and she won 2nd place. She also participated in Journaling from C2C and won 1st place. She is in 10th grade and in 3rd rank in her class. She is interested in drawing and dreams of becoming an engineer one day.

When Swathi is older, she plans to give back. She plans not only to become an engineer, but to allocate funds to help with the food and education at CSS. She says, “If a girl has an education, then she can rule the world.” According to Swathi, a girl with an education can stand on her own two feet and lead her family. If only the man works in the family, it can be difficult, but if the woman can work, she can educate her children. 

Supraja

Supraja’s father works as an auto-rickshaw taxi driver. He rents an auto-rickshaw and takes it around town carting people from place to place. He works ten hours a day, everyday, sometimes late at night or early in the morning. Supraja’s mother walks the three to four-kilometer journey to the center of the city where she washes dishes at a small eatery. She works around eight to ten hours a day.

When Supraja was younger, her parents worked in agriculture, sowing seeds in the fields. They had to travel in order for her parents to get work, and since they were frequently in small villages, Supraja wasn’t able to attend school regularly. 

Through C2C Supraja gained stable housing and education. She is a top athlete, winning the national level in discus and shot put. Along with athletics, Supraja has won first prizes for essay writing. She devotes time to helping other students with their studies. 

She decided she wanted to one day work in Indian Administrative Services, a government posting, so that she can help girls get access to education. 

During this pandemic, her parents continue to work, but they wear masks to protect themselves. Supraja stays focused on her studies. She says that in society, so much crime can happen and it is difficult for a girl to live on her own. But with an education, a girl can stand on her own two feet; she can stand up for herself and for her community.

Bindu

Bindu’s father and mother work in a thermocol factory for 10 hours a day. Since the pandemic, many factories have shut down, and her parents have been unable to work. Her family has relied on donations of rations to help during this difficult time.

Bindu has been at one of C2C’s partner centers for nine years, having come on the advice of her father’s friend. Thanks to her studies and her work with her teachers, she has gained confidence to be able to speak and explain her story in English for this interview. She is grateful to C2C for the support and the TechLab, where she is able to practice her computer skills. A first ranker in her 9th grade class, Bindu has won first prize for her elocutions and learned karate and self-dense, She also devotes time to helping slower learners. 

Bindu does not want her parents to continue to work as laborers when she grows up. With dreams of being a software engineer, Bindu has plans to settle her parents in a nice house one day. 

Bindu believes that girls are capable of achieving whatever they wish in this world. She believes that if girls are educated, society can change.

C2C Alum Success Story - Gayathri

Gayathri is 21 years old and from Chennai. She loves classical dancing along with making arts and crafts. A lover of both the arts and sciences, Gayathri also has a knack for sales. When C2C India Representative Fatima Colaco visited Gayathri at the Centre for Social Service (CSS) in Andhra Pradash, Gayathri showed her the wares sold at their local house stitching and sewing center. With a natural flair for salesmanship, Gayathri convinced Fatima to purchase several kurtas. 

Gayathri’s journey to CSS happened after several traumatic events in her life. Her parents died when she was young, so she moved to Hyderabad with her two older sisters. She faced a lot of personal problems while living in the homes of her relatives, so much that she didn’t study for a year. 

Fortunately, with the help of her uncle, she joined CSS, an organization that provides shelter, schooling, and meals. Gayathri enrolled in 6th standard (6th grade) at CSS, but she struggled to speak. Her past experiences had rendered her quite soft-spoken. In addition, she struggled with Telegu a language she was not fluent in. As time passed, some of the girls in her class helped her learn Telegu and raise her grades. 

CSS partners with C2C and offers sponsorships for the girls. Gayathri was in the 10th standard when she began to receive a C2C sponsorship. At the time, she didn’t fully grasp who was sponsoring her, but it helped her to not worry about her economic situation and instead focus fully on her studies. 

The C2C sponsorship continued into university when Gayathri enrolled in Siddhartha Institute of Engineering and Technology in Hyderabad. With her tuition and living expenses paid for, Gayathri could focus solely on her challenging subjects, like Physics. Gayathri earned her Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering. 

Only a month ago, Gayathri started her new job at Highradius, a multinational firm with headquarters in Boston. Gayathri works at their offices in Hyderabad where she is currently completing her training before she starts working in coding in SQL programming language. She knows she is one of the younger members hired on, but fortunately, everyone has been kind and supportive as she adjusts to her new working environment. 

Gayathri has dreams to further her education and study in the U.S. to earn a Master’s degree in Digital Signal Processing. But for now, Gayathri is thrilled to start in her new job. She looks back at her experience at CSS and C2C and she is eternally grateful. She thanks each and every person who helped her along the way. She hopes to soon return to CSS. She has plans to return to her former school in order to show the young girls that they can achieve great things if they work hard and help each other. 

C2C Alum Success Story - Bindu

Bindu is 23 years old and from Hyderabad, India. She loves to play video games and learn languages--programming languages specifically. One of her hobbies is making greeting cards. She loves to make them for festivals.

As a child, Bindu’s father suffered from alcoholism and incurred a lot of debts. As a result, the family frequently moved. Bindu changed schools eight times. When she reached 9th grade, her father passed away.

After her father’s death, Bindu went with her mother and younger sister to the Centre for Social Service (CSS) in Andhra Pradash, an organization that provided them shelter, schooling, and meals. CSS had an all-girls school that Bindu attended. 

CSS is an NGO partner with C2C. Every year, C2C chooses girls from CSS for sponsorships to assist them while in high school and at university. Bindu demonstrated a keen interest in computer science and by 10th grade, she knew she wanted to be a computer science engineer. Ms. Janaki and Ms. Lakshmi, two of the administrators at CSS, recognized Bindu’s ambitions and encouraged her to pursue her desired career path.  

With a sponsorship from C2C, Bindu had her tuition and living expenses paid for while she pursued her Bachelor’s degree at Siddhartha Institute of Engineering and Technology in Hyderabad. When Bindu looks back at her time at university, she feels fortunate to have had her expenses covered. It allowed her to remain more focused on her studies. In addition, the C2C sponsorship granted her a bus pass to travel to other parts of the region with her mother and sister. With the bus pass, Bindu felt a new sense of confidence. Instead of only imagining a future where her life and duties solely existed within the home, the world stretched before her. 

After she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Bindu interned at Vasavi College of Engineering. She noticed that there was off-campus hiring available for IT companies in the area, and she applied. Tech companies frequently do pre-employment evaluations in order to select from the best candidates. Around 4,000 people applied through off-campus hiring for IT companies. Bindu passed that round. She hoped to work in a multinational firm. She received offers from three companies and she decided to accept the offer from Cognizant Solutions, a multinational corporation located in Hyderabad. The application involved three rounds of interviews. In order to prepare, Bindu took matters into her own hands. She went online and found helpful mock interviews for added guidance. Thanks to her initiative, she landed the job.

Bindu has now worked at Cognizant for two years, doing coding for U.S. projects and communicating in English on a daily basis in the office. But while Bindu has achieved a dream, she still wishes to go further. She plans to one day go to the U.S. to get her Master’s degree in Computer Science.

For now, Bindu uses her free time to give back. She is part of the initiative Each One, Teach One. She returns to CSS to encourage the young girls to study and follow their passions. Bindu says,

“No one can do everything, but everyone can do something,”

Bindu is a young woman now, but her journey has taken her farther than she ever imagined. She believes that education is key to a promising future and she is forever grateful to C2C and the sponsorship that helped her earn a degree without worry about making money for tuition or her housing.

Gaining Speaking Confidence with Mobile Apps

In a small video done by phone, a young girl speaks directly into the camera. Tara is in the 11th standard. Her father is a farmer and her mother is a housewife. She says that the Bolo app is important for all students and that it helps students to improve their language skills. Trupti says she is 17 years old. There are five members in her family. She says the Bolo app is amazing and that she can understand the stories easily. Jessica says she uses the app for ten minutes a day and she feels it has helped her improve her English.

These are just a sample of the numerous girls who have taken the opportunity to record themselves speaking in English and confidently praising an app they became accustomed to thanks to their C2C instructors and tutors. Bolo, which means “speak” in Hindi, is an app for young students that promotes literacy both in Hindi and in English. While used to teach children to read and follow stories, the app also allows students to practice their pronunciation, drilling them until their answers are accurate. 

In the Life Skills Paradigm at C2C, we teach the four C’s: Confidence, Creativity, Communication, and Critical Thinking. Student-led presentations are an important component to this educational process. Students must be able to harness their voice to present their ideas and to be able to execute this skill in English. 

Our students are aware of the necessity of learning and mastering English as it will position them as competitive candidates in the fields of international business and IT. Unlike English, Hindi is a phonetic language, meaning that each letter has one distinct sound. You may know that the pronunciation of “though” and “rough” are different, but these language nuances are immensely challenging to second language speakers. 

International speaker Julian Treasure once gave a Ted Talk titled “How to speak so that people want to listen.” He pointed out that the human voice is likely the most powerful sound in the world. The human voice can start a war, resolve conflict, or profess love. Thanks to the Bolo app, our C2C students are learning how powerful their voices can be.

The Opportunities are Endless

Tech Lab Class, 2019

October 11th marks International Day of the Girl and this year, the theme is “My Voice, Our Equal Future.” Created by the United Nations in 2011, this day “focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.” One of those challenges is access to education that can propel young girls into a future of their choosing. 

Commit2Change was established to address the ongoing challenges for young girls, especially in underserved communities. Our Tech Lab in India provides girls a bridge into employment opportunities in computer programming. But it is not simply a pipeline to a job in IT. Thanks to the developed curriculum through the C2C Tech Lab, students can consider a promising future in one of many career options. 

The students usually start classes with little to no knowledge of computers. Their typing speed at the beginning is less than 30 words per minute. Using programs like Rapid Typing, the girls increase their speed to 120 words per minute in a matter of months. With such impressive typing speed and accuracy, girls have the possibility to work as a transcriber. 

Walk into any Tech Lab and you will see standard desktop computers with an English keyboard. All the girls receive an education in English along with competency in typing in that language. However, to expand their skills, instructors like Ms. Trupti have students translate writing from English into Hindi or even Gujarati, the common language in Gujarat. 

English typists are prevalent in India, but workers able to type in Hindi or local, regional languages are in high demand. The salary range for this position is anywhere from 15,000 rupees and up, a substantial income that can provide for a worker and their family. Because much of the legal work is done offline, there is a huge demand for typists able to write in the local language. 

A sizable portion of the population in India has little to no computer literacy skills and they rely on people who run local computer shops to assist with these office duties. Girls in the Tech Lab can confidently scan, upload documents, print, and fill out forms online. With these skills under their belt, graduates of C2C can decide to buy or rent a shop and offer computer assistance to a large customer base. 

Students in C2C are not only trained in operating a computer system, but they also can use software from Microsoft Office with ease. While an undergraduate curriculum does not teach a student Excel, we make it a requirement in C2C. Students at C2C are trained to procure certification in MSCIT, a popular IT literacy course in Maharashtra, and a prerequisite for candidates applying for government jobs. 

Many outsiders might assume C2C offers an education in computer science and programming, but the truth is within the numerous steps of our curriculum, our girls receive opportunities to branch into a multitude of well-paying careers. For the girls at C2C, their futures are in their capable hands.

The Work of a Tutor

Ms. Trupti lives in the bustling city of Mumbai. She has a Master’s degree in Computer Science and has worked as a teacher for about eight years, teaching students as young as 12 to as old as 20. A couple of years ago Ms. Trupti joined Commit2Change, helping to design the standardized curriculum while also assisting the local Mumbai girls as a tutor. 

Making a curriculum is a hefty task for any educator. Ms. Trupti’s duties are even more challenging because the coursework must be clear and accessible to C2C students located in diverse parts of the country. While students in Mumbai can easily complete tasks because of the readily available resources of technology and strong internet connectivity, the students living in rural areas struggle to have the same benefits. 

Curriculum development for most educational institutions in India is based on imparting theoretical concepts to the students, usually through rote learning. C2C takes a different approach, instead aiming to give the students a more hands-on experience strongly focused on imparting confidence, communication skills, critical thinking, and creativity. 

Ms. Trupti is well-aware of the uphill battle she must face in making indifferent students (who are mostly first-generation learners) excited about technology. She knows that on the first day, the girls have little to no knowledge about technology or computer science. To begin, they watch a few animated clips from films like Ice Age and Jungle Safari. The girls enjoy the short videos, and then Ms. Trupti encourages them to ask how they are made. By the end of class, the girls not only come into contact with technology, but the seed has been planted: They are starting on the path to being creators themselves.

For the curriculum, Ms. Trupti starts with practicals. This first phase is educating the girls on basic knowledge about computers, including typing, turning the computer off and on, using the mouse, fundamentals of computer science and internet and using Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Once the girls have mastered the practicals, they are ready for the next phase--coding. After that, Ms. Trupti can push the students further by introducing enhanced programming. 

In the wake of the ongoing pandemic, Ms. Trupti’s work has been more needed than ever. Thanks to Google Suite for Education, Ms. Trupti can remain connected to students and compile a repository of educational resources for the C2C students. She has found ways for the girls to practice programming when not online with the help of materials such as the workbook Hello Ruby: Journey Inside the Computer. Using textbooks like these, Ms. Trupti works to alter the exercises to be more reflective of the Indian environment, giving the girls a stronger connection to the topics and concepts. With the use of mobile devices and WhatsApp, Ms. Trupti can reach her students who have less access to technology and continue to assist them with their learning, even while sheltering indoors. She has helped students find and access apps for Microsoft Office along with informative coding apps like Scratch Jr. Her colleagues contribute to finding and sharing helpful teaching materials as well. One tutor collected a list of Android-based games for the purpose of teaching loops and sequencing, such as Programming Hero, Algorithm City, Tommy Turtle, and others. 

Like the other tutors, Ms. Trupti checks in on her students regularly and has them send her their notes online or through email. She and her fellow tutors are working to create and deliver topical quizzes through Google Forms in order to assess each student’s progress and assist any learning gaps that become evident. 

While talking to Ms. Trupti about her experience teaching, it is evident that she is quite impressed with the girls’ quick learning abilities and their drive to understand the concepts. She is amazed how much the girls have learned in one month. But the success of the students relies heavily on the patience and persistence of our tutors. Ms. Trupti is not only patient, but she is also adapting her teaching style for the changing landscape of the country. She looks forward to the day she can see her students in person again. 

During a Pandemic, A Persistence for Knowledge

It is now over five months since the spread of COVID-19 has resulted in nationwide lockdowns and slow re-openings. 

 Many companies and programs have had to problem-solve and adjust to this pandemic, discovering ways to maintain productivity while ensuring the health and safety of individuals. We recognize that a long hiatus from the classroom could risk our students falling behind, and our staff and administrators have been working tirelessly to create solutions that will hopefully carry us through these trying times. In the transition to remote learning, Commit2Change has augmented curriculum delivery with audio conferences and when necessary, sending content via WhatsApp.

Still, in order to address the needs of all the girls C2C serves, a unique challenge has arisen: How do you continue to educate the entire student body on necessary technological skills when a portion of the students lack access to the tools?  

We frequently forget that we have a device with the power of a computer that fits into our pocket: the smartphone. In India, more than 500 million people have a smartphone, and many of the girls involved in C2C live in orphanages or households that possess one. Using WhatsApp, Zoom, and Google Meet, tutors can connect to the students along with passing along assignments and helpful apps the girls can download and play on their devices.

Still, there remains the challenge that a small group of girls do not  have access to a smartphone. So how do we teach students about technology without having the tool at hand? The answer is to go back to basics. The key to learning technology isn’t just in operating the system, but in curating the programming mindset.

To this end, C2C has sent students worksheets via WhatsApp, which they reproduce and complete at home. One worksheet called Decoder consists of two circles: one with the alphabet lined around the border circumference and the other with a variety of images. The girls cut out the two circles and place the smaller on top of the larger, creating their own “code.” With their new code created, they can write words or sentences in what would appear to be gibberish to the untrained eye. They can also send their code via WhatsApp to other girls to decode. While it appears to be a simple game, this practice helps the girls understand that coding is another language, one that they must become comfortable with so they can use it with ease.

As the pandemic continues to affect our daily lives, we must find ways to persevere. The accomplishments we’ve seen with our girls, despite numerous obstacles, have given us hope that we will weather this storm. We look forward to the day the girls return to TechLab in person and we can proudly announce that class is back in session!

Fostering Creativity with the Scratch App

Creativity. It’s that buzzword many employers are looking for in prospective hires. But how can someone demonstrate they are creative? Furthermore, how can they acquire this skill in a school setting?

It feels contradictory to pair creativity with education. For many of us, we entered school with flourishing imaginations and got bogged down with rules and instructions. We left school “educated,” able to color within the lines.  

For C2C, this issue is even more challenging within the educational structures in place for the girls we work with in India. In a society where numerous families perceive their daughter’s potential in terms of her marriageability, how can she explore her creative potential?

Girls in C2C not only have access to computer learning skills in TechLab, but they also are given free range to explore their technological and creative prowess through apps. The free app, Scratch, allows users to create music, videos, and games while also learning coding.

When using Scratch, the girls have used the app in imaginative and inspiring ways. During one class, the instructor assigned the students the task to upload a music file and remix it in order to practice playing with the different effects of sound. While everyone got to work, one girl decided to go a different route—using her own voice. She recorded herself singing a song and uploaded it to the app. Using Scratch’s features, she remixed her voice and published the song. The tutor was so amazed that she showed the song to Kuber Sharma, executive director of C2C in India. Needless to say, he was floored. “We didn’t know that was possible!” he exclaimed. 

Another student used Scratch as a storytelling platform. She drew a character, uploaded it into Scratch, and then began writing a story to go along with her creation. The story may have initially been inspired by an example project, but as the narrative progressed it became abundantly clear that this was a story all its own, birthed from her imagination.

Creativity is crucial to an adolescent’s development and yet there are no parameters for how to teach this skill. But when providing our girls with helpful technological tools, we witness them be more daring, ready to try new things, and problem-solve any difficulties. Our students have created songs, stories, animations and other media because we provide them the instruction that they don’t need to simply color inside the lines. 

The Power of an Interdisciplinary Education

The 11th grade girls file into the Techlab classroom and each take a seat at a computer. As class commences, the instructor assigns a task: working in pairs, the students must create an animation where a ball bounces down a flight of stairs, being sure to bounce once on every step as it descends. 

This particular class is made up of rural village girls in Gujarat, India. They have already received primers introducing them to computer programming, a curriculum they have progressed through over the year. Now with their partner, they are immersed in conversation, deliberating and testing methods to complete the task. 

In their formal education in India, most of these girls attend classes divided by subject. They acquire information through memorization. But as many educators already know, this archaic form of education is not the most effective way for students to learn deeply. Consider this with your own schooling. Do you recall the information from the Chemistry test you crammed for? Or do you remember the class days where the teacher assigned you an activity you had to complete? Chances are that you hold memories of the latter.

C2C addresses the educational aspect of the girls’ lives by implementing task-based assignments that focus on student interaction and engagement. In the TechLab activity, these students rely on their knowledge of a range of subjects: trigonometry, geometry, physics. Along with this, the students must practice soft skills: communication, problem-solving analysis, and teamwork. This reliance on multiple subjects is known as an interdisciplinary approach to education. Through this, students move out of the boundaries of single-subject learning and identify connections across disciplines.

In taking the driver’s seat in their learning, students have more confidence in themselves and behave more assertively. Students do not fear making a mistake. Instead, they experiment and embrace failure, giving them the drive to persist. These are the kinds of behaviors that cannot simply be taught in the standard school system. They must be nurtured and practiced with the right educational environment.

While it is obvious these girls require a solid education in STEM subjects in order to enter a career in technology, their competency in practicing soft skills will give them a leg up in adapting to the ever-changing economic landscape. They can demonstrate an ability to connect ideas across subjects. Creativity is not only for the arts. Problem-solving is not specifically for a math question.

By the end of the ball animation lesson approximately 80% of the students have achieved the task. They have used different strategies, some of them more efficient than others, but they have demonstrated their ability to face a task and devise a course of action.

At the end of class, the girls are abuzz with excitement at what they have achieved. Student Hetalben Mohaniya says it best: “Everyday I learn new things in computer lab.”

COVID-19 Updates

Three months ago, the COVID pandemic sent most of the world into lockdown. While many countries are opening businesses to reinvigorate the economy, this school year has come to an early end. But while we at C2C continue to follow the guidelines of social distancing, our concern is for the health and safety of our young girls in India and finding ways for them to forge ahead in their education while remaining vigilant against this pandemic.

In India, the lockdown has been called one of the harshest in the world, shutting down travel along with businesses, factories, and schools. Starting on March 25th, the orphanage and rescue homes where C2C operates have remained closed until early June. Most of the young women in our program remain onsite and C2C continues to provide critical support for basic necessities like accommodation, food, and clothing. As an economic downturn looms over the horizon, we are working closely with our partners as we expect to see a growing need for essential items.

With school closed during the pandemic, the C2C staff have improvised effective short-term solutions. We are working with the orphanage administrators to mitigate the effects of missed learning on the girls’ future academic performance, graduation rates, and employment prospects. Because of unreliable internet service, virtual learning is not consistently effective in India. In lieu of this, we are engaging the girls in independent learning through worksheets and activities accessible without technology, including some lessons that can be conducted via free telephonic service. Some technological learning has been made available through apps and programs like Mindspark-Maths for STEM subjects and Bolo for English and language skills. We continue regular, virtual trainings for our teachers and we are actively designing lesson plans for the coming year, focusing on any educational gaps caused by the pause in schooling.

Like the rest of us, the girls are doing their best to cope with the quarantine measures and relieve their anxiety over the risk of contracting the disease. From attending seminars about effective handwashing to practicing social distancing, the students have learned how to reduce the chances of contagion. Some of the girls with sewing skills have donated their time to making protective masks for the local hospitals.

These are challenging times that represent an unprecedented risk for girls’ education worldwide. At C2C, our commitment to girls’ education and empowerment remains strong. We will weather this health and economic crisis. We hope you will continue to support us during this difficult time. Rest assured that once this quarantine lifts, C2C will be ready to resume at full speed, providing holistic educational services to the most vulnerable of girls.

Welcoming a Baby Girl

In early November 2019 one of C2C’s partners, the Infant Jesus Children’s Home, greeted a new baby girl at their rescue home in Bangalore, India. Anita had been abandoned by her parents at just 24 days old. The program staff welcomed her with open arms and they tell us that Anita is happy, healthy and very active -- in spite of her HIV-positive status.

All the children at Infant Jesus Children’s Home have been abandoned because of their HIV status. The parents and guardians who give up these children are typically unable to care for them due to extreme poverty and other life circumstances. The parents are often sick themselves.

India has the third-largest HIV epidemic in the world, behind South Africa and Mozambique. In 2017, HIV prevalence among adults was an estimated 0.22%. This figure is small compared to many other countries but because of India's huge population, this equates to 2.1 million people living with HIV. Children with HIV are more likely to be orphaned, and the stigma related to the disease can reduce access to treatment and basic civic amenities like education.

Since 2000, the Indian government has made impressive progress in curbing the spread of HIV disease. Government funding even provides country-wide free medication to those who are infected. But many HIV-infected children do not receive government support for things like schooling, nutrition, housing and other supportive services due to lack of regulations and bureaucratic hurdles.

That’s where C2C steps in and provides these vital services for girls at the Infant Jesus Children’s Home through our Education & Holistic Support Program. With proper treatment, HIV can be a chronic, manageable illness. We believe these girls deserve a chance to overcome their disease, and we know they can serve as role models in their communities if given the opportunity through education.

The difficult context in which the girls are educated makes their successes all the more inspiring. Just last month a C2C-sponsored girl at Infant Jesus, successfully passed her 10th Standard exam -- the US equivalent of graduating high school. She is now attending a computer course and excited to find a job and support herself. Two more C2C-sponsored girls are preparing for their 10th Standard exams in early 2020. Many more, younger adolescents are showing initiative and progress in various stages of their studies.

We are proud of these girls! With critical aid from our supporters, we are doing our part to provide an enriching, supportive, stigma-free environment to help the girls reach their full potential, in spite of their HIV status.

*Name changed for confidentiality

**More on Infant Jesus Children’s home can be found here.