Happy International Women's Day!

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the work of Nishta and all women’s empowerment organizations.

Nishta is dedicated to empowering a new generation of girls in India.  I first visited the Nishta project around 15 years ago, when I worked for Karuna UK. Nishta empowers adolescent girls through leadership training and education. What immediately struck me was the confidence of the girls. They were bright, engaging, and had a lot to say about their lives and communities. 

This was not my experience with teenage girls and young women in India. Instead, they tended to be demure and reserved. They held themselves back, especially in the presence of men. This was unsurprising given the expectations that young women should marry young and raise families. Not these girls. I still remember my joy uplifting being around them and knowing that they were inspiring others to dream bigger.

The secret? They were empowered with confidence and knowledge to become respected leaders in their families and communities. Fathers now listened to the advice of their daughters on matters of agriculture and social issues, a clear sign of their enhanced status. 

I was proud to recommend them for funding 15 years ago. Karuna is still proud to have them as a partner today. 

Fast forward, it’s hard to recognize how much this work is still needed 15 years later. Changing  systems is hard, but it works. I am delighted that we are still funding their work of empowering adolescent girls, preventing child marriage and allowing girls to complete their education. This International Women’s Day, we salute Nishta and projects like theirs for empowering a new generation of dynamic and engaged women leaders.

Ananta,

CEO, Karuna USA