Commit 2 Change (C2C) was founded on the belief that girls have the ability to take control of their lives and create positive change in their communities when empowered with the proper educational tools and support. Based on this belief, C2C is committed to working with vulnerable, school-aged girls in India and South Asia to empower them with critical education and life skills that will change the course of their futures. Many of the girls we serve come from extreme hardship and trauma, cast away from their families due to poverty or gender discrimination.
C2C provides programs tailored towards the needs of these girls to achieve intermediate outcomes that empower girls with choice and self-confidence. These programs include Adaptive Education Programs, Digital Technology Education, Tutoring, Peer to Peer Mentorship and Mental Wellness Programs. Ultimately, these programs support our long-term vision of transforming the lives of vulnerable girls and starting a forward-moving cycle of empowerment for all girls in the communities we serve.
C2C believes that since many girls come from situations of domestic violence or negative family upbringing, they must first obtain a positive sense of self-worth — particularly with respect to confidence and coping with past trauma. C2C also realizes that in order to have the freedom to make choices, certain life skills must be learned such as financial literacy and problem solving. Finally, we believe that girls should complete university or vocational school to ensure that they are competitive in the job market to become financially stable. C2C becomes girls biggest, most outspoken champions as we equip them with the skills, creativity and confidence they need to complete and succeed in a modern economy.
In this theory, we make the assumption that due to the lack of parental figures, the parental push back that encompasses most impoverished adolescent girls in India and South Asia from making independent choices is actually non-existent with C2C girls. Thus, the empowerment programming can be successfully implemented.
As we look forward, C2C plans to continue to gather and evaluate the crucial data necessary to support this theory and take our organization to the next level of implementing systematic change in India and South Asia.
Why Orphan Girls?
Girls in orphanages are usually abandoned by families for different reasons. It could be because she has HIV or simply because she was born a GIRL.
These factors - stemming from societal and cultural biases and inequities - means more girls are becoming victims of sex trafficking, indentured servitude, early marriage, and more. We believe empowering girls with education and self-confidence will not only give them a chance at a better life, but also help STOP this vicious cycle.
Secondary Education Is Key
Our focus for vulnerable and abandoned girls is secondary education for a number of reasons. It's where we see the most drop off in our girls and where we can make the most impact. If we can help girls to learn critical life skills and basic education, they will have a better chance of tackling the outside world and creating positive change in their communities.
Additionally, we take a holistic approach and address the question of what she needs to learn. This ranges from providing fees and school supplies to hiring qualified teachers to implementing training programs to affording access to nutrition and healthcare. We hope that a multifaceted approach to education will enable girls to grow intellectually and encourage personal and collective responsibility.
The Proof is in the Stats
An educated girl marries 4 years later and has 2.2 fewer children.
An extra year of secondary school boosts wages by 15-25%.
An educated girl will invest 90% of her future income in her family.