Empowering underprivileged girls through education

Hyderabad: For millions of underprivileged girls, education is a wild goose chase. But, thanks to a few compassionate persons, at least some of them get the most-desired thing: care and a gentle push. And, the MV Foundation is one such organisation that is on a mission to rescue underprivileged girls and educate them so that they feel empowered to solve problems on their own.

The foundation’s Residential Bridge Course for girls is meant to provide education and other facilities to children who drop out of school or are working as child labourers. These girls are rescued by the foundation and, with support from the State government, are educated for periods ranging from six months to two years. Hundreds of girls are utilising this facility and getting on well in their lives.

Volunteers of the foundation go to slum areas in the city and convince parents to put their children in the foundation’s bridge course. There are 10 teachers who impart basic skills to the girls. During the course, the girls are given basic education.

Upon completion of the course, they are sent to Government Residential Schools for future education. Speaking to The Hans India, S Pushpa Latha, aged 16, said, “I am from Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. After I completed my SSC with 7.6 grade point average, my parents forced me to get married. I knew the consequence of getting married and I did not want to get married. I just wanted to continue education.”

She, therefore, ran away from her house. Initially, she was unable to decide about what to do and where to go. “I took a train and came to Hyderabad. I was staying on the platform of the Kacheguda Railway Station for a few days. Thanks to Operation Muskaan and the trained police team who met me, I was introduced to the MV Foundation and then they relieved me of my pain. Now, I am strong. I have been staying here for over a year,” she said.

Asked if she longed to go back home now, she said, “I love my parents, but I do not want to go home as I cannot convince them about my need for my higher education.” Another girl from MV Foundation, Samreen Begum, said, “I belong to Gayathri Nagar, yderabad. My father was an auto driver and my mother a domestic help. I studied till Class 4 and had to drop out because my mom became mentally ill as her maternal grandmother burnt herself to death.”

She said her parents used to fight a lot over financial matters. Due to the mental condition of my mother, I was almost sold to a shopkeeper for Rs 500. My cousin interfered and stopped it. When the story came to light, someone took me to the MV Foundation’s Chandrayangutta camp. My father recently died in a road accident.

The coordinator of MV Foundation, A. Arvind, said, “We have four branches in India and one is at Chandrayangutta in Hyderabad. We identify child labourers in the city and give them basic education and, with the help of the government, we join the children in residential schools for further education.”