The power of volunteering: Educate Girls' 18,000+ village-based volunteers have mobilised school enrolment of 12 lakh girls since 2007

MUMBAI, India, Nov. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Educate Girls, a non-profit working towards girls' education in rural India celebrates its 15th anniversary this December. Since 2007, the organisation has rallied an army of 18,000+ village-based youth volunteers called Team Balika, to bring sustainable change in the most remote and marginalised geographies in India.

Through partnerships with local governments and community support, Educate Girls works towards ensuring that all girls are in school and learning well. Over the past 15 years, Educate Girls has mobilised over 12 lakh out-of-school girls for enrolment, in nearly 20,000 villages across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.

Safeena Husain, Founder and Board Member, Educate Girls, says, "The last 15 years have been nothing short of inspiring, largely thanks to our Team Balika volunteers. We are so proud of what they have been able to achieve, by empowering them to realise our collective dream – of ensuring that every girl is in school and learns well. Our collaborative efforts to educate girls is critical to India achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and creating a gender-equitable society. We sincerely thank the government, communities, our donors, and well-wishers who have made this journey incredible."

Starting December 5 (coinciding with International Volunteers Day), members of the Educate Girls family – 2,500+ employees, donors, government officials and 18,000+ Team Balika volunteers – will come together to celebrate the spirit of collaboration.

The celebrations will kick off in Rajasthan's Pali district where the organisation started its operations. More than 1000 gender champions will come together, celebrate the journey, and recommit to the mission in each of the 15+ events planned across the operational districts till February 2023.

Elaborating on the future plans of Educate Girls, Maharshi Vaishnav, CEO, Educate Girls, says, "We salute our field champions who have left no stone unturned by knocking on 1.5 crore doors in the most rural, remote and marginalised communities to get girls back to school. As we continue to scale our journey, we look forward to collaborating with governments and communities to achieve our audacious goal of bringing 16 lakh girls back to school in the next couple of years." 

For additional information and interview opportunities with Educate Girls' senior leaders, please get in touch with:

Shwetha Kamath 
Head - Communications, Educate Girls 
Email: shwetha.kamath@educategirls.ngo
Phone: +91-22 48932226

About Educate Girls

Educate Girls is a non-profit that focuses on mobilising communities for girls' education in India's rural and educationally backward areas. Working in partnership with the Government, Educate Girls currently operates successfully in nearly 20,000 villages of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh and has brought 1.2 million+ girls back to school till date. By engaging with a huge base of community volunteers, Educate Girls helps to identify, enrol, and retain out-of-school girls and to improve foundational skills in literacy and numeracy for all children (both girls and boys).

Learn more: www.EducateGirls.ngo 

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