Asha
India
Asha belonged to a moderately wealthy family in her community. But after her grandfather died, her father began to drink heavily and spent all the family’s money on alcohol.
Asha had a passion for learning, but the village she lived in did not take education for girls seriously. Asha’s family soon ran out of money, and Asha had to drop out of school.
An Educate Girls Field Coordinator noticed that Asha hadn’t been attending school lately. When he dropped by her home to see what was the matter, he found that Asha’s mother and father had different reasons for not sending their daughter to school. Her father made the excuse that Asha was too busy taking care of the family's new baby, but Asha's mother said it was because they couldn’t afford it.
The Educate Girls Field Coordinator contacted the school’s principal, and a local donor generously gifted Asha and her siblings both clothes and the cost of their education. Asha continues to be a hard-working student and is working to acquire a job so that she can help support her family and bring them out of poverty.
Story courtesy of Educate Girls, a non-profit organization that supports girls in rural areas of India.