Shama is living her dream of educating girls to end gender discrimination

Shama Tiwari faced gender discrimination from a young age. Her family placed more importance on her male siblings – they were given more respect, were allowed to study more, and do things as they wished. The men always had unconditional support in whatever they chose to do and were easily allowed to pursue higher education. “My family believes sons take the family legacy ahead and girls are a liability. I had to struggle and fight with my family to complete my master’s degree in economics because, according to them, my education was a waste of money and time”, she shares. 

Shama was unhappy with this mindset and worked hard to become a teacher. She pursued a Bachelor of Education and joined Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in 2011 as a teacher. “I always dreamt of being a teacher because I believe the more people are educated, the easier it will be to end gender discrimination,” she explains. 

Since then, she has left no stone unturned to educate the girls in her community. When she met the Educate Girls team, she immediately felt connected to the organisation and decided to support the cause. She helps the team whenever possible. She goes to nearby villages to participate in community meetings, helping spread the importance of education and convincing parents to send their daughters to school. With support from the Educate Girls team, she works on improving the reading levels of girls in her school. She also assists the Field Coordinator in implementing the Educate Girls’ Gyan Ka Pitara (a supplementary remedial learning curriculum to improve students’ learning levels in English, Hindi, and Math in grades 3-5). She also guides girls on other skills such as public speaking, maintaining cleanliness and hygiene and table manners. Due to the tireless efforts of Shama and Educate Girls, a computer lab and a science lab were built on the school campus. Girls in her school are now encouraged to take up science and computers. 

Along with the Educate Girls team, Shama has helped enrol more than 100 girls. There are many challenges in enrolling girls in her area, such as the traditional, patriarchal mindsets of the people in the village. Additionally, many parents take their children to work along with them in brick kilns. Despite all these challenges, Shama stands strong and does everything she can to convince her parents. Many girls have been able to stop working at brick kilns and start their education journey thanks to Shama.