Despite financial difficulties and resistance from her family, Esha gets a chance to go to school again 

Esha* is a bright young girl from a rural, remote village in Uttar Pradesh. Her parents struggle to find steady employment, and her household’s financial condition is difficult. Esha’s father’s poor health is adding to their financial burden. Her mother, Premkumari, takes care of her husband and looks for menial work in the community to provide for her family. With the adults always almost preoccupied, the bulk of household chores falls on Esha. When the family’s financial condition worsened, Esha’s education was discontinued. She was in 4th Grade then.

Educate Girls’ Field Coordinator Gyan Prakash encountered Esha during a door-to-door survey in Esha’s village. Several attempts were made to enrol Esha back into school, but her parents always resisted due to monetary difficulties. 

Realising that Esha’s parents needed more persuasion, Gyan, along with Team Balika volunteer Rahul Kumar and the village Sarpanch, visited Esha’s house to counsel the family. He told them, “Today, if you deprive your daughter of education, your future generations will also not be able to leave behind this poverty. They will face difficulties in creating an identity in society. If you want to improve your child’s future, you need to send her to school.”

Understanding the truth in Gyan’s words, Esha’s parents, with Gyan’s help, enrolled her in 7th Grade at a nearby government school. 

Today, Esha is happy and enjoys going to school every day. She says, “With the support of Educate Girls, I got a chance to go to school again. I want to become a teacher when I grow up so I can help the children of my village get educated. This way, all the children of my village can fulfil their dreams.”

*name changed