Its great to have one day specially marked on the calendar to wish every woman all the best. We all do. The real wishes come from the heart when you are in touch with so many women who reside in the rural areas and you are talking to them, thanks to the technology, and they are wishing “Happy Women’s Day” or saying “Antarashtriya Mahila Diwas Ki Shubhkamnayen”. Bringing them online and talking to them what do they mean about this, the answer is “we changed our lives, thanks to READ India for providing us the opportunity”.

A few quotes: Fatima says, I am a school teacher in Kalghar village of Rampur, I learnt computers and now my salary is double, I have happily taken over the administration job of the school along with teaching, my computer skills have added more income to my family and I am confident in handling multiple responsibilities.

Abida says, I never thought of be self-dependent. What a change in life, I am not only self-dependent but making may girls self-dependent by teaching them the stitching and sewing skills and Shaziya says that she has opened a training Centre at her home and making other girls learn the same skills and earn money. Thanks to Akbar for his dedication and driving the positivity by transforming the lives of local girls and women enabling them to understand the importance of self-dependent and bring confidence in them for self-transformation.

Nishi Says, “we are six sisters. All were not allowed to come out of home, but the local leader, Farah, convinced our father to send the girls at the READ India Community Library and Resource Center. Now all the six sisters have learned multiple skills and are self-dependent”, what a change in the family! Nishi shared her feelings as “मुस्कुरा कर दर्द को बुलाकर रिश्तो में बंधी थी एक नारी हर पग को रोशन करने वाली वह शक्ति है एक नारी।“

Fiza, who said after passing the 10th class, she started training the women zari zardozi work, was not confident how she will speak with the elderly women and make them learn. She is so confident now and is continuing her higher education by earning money as a trainer with READ India.

Muskan, a young girl belongs to an orthodox family lives in village Patwai of District Rampur, she says that she had to drop out from her school as her father thought that women should not be allowed to go outside , but she with the help of the mobilizers of READ India center able to convince her father & got the permission to read in the READ India center, since past six months she has been reading in the center and now her father impressed from her & allowed her to get admission in the school for further formal studies. She expressed her feelings by sharing “मां बन कर जन्म दिया जिसने, लालन-पालन भी किया जिसने, शीश झुका कर प्रणाम करो उस नारी को, तुम पर एहसान किया उसने।

Farha, the Coordinator, who has been motivating, training and mentoring the local girls in the villages of Patwai, Khalghar, Aghapur and surroundings, shared her power by expressing as :

मुट्ठी में कुछ सपने लेकर भरकर जीवो में आशाएं दिल में है। अरमान यही कुछ कर जाएं कुछ कर जाएं।

सूरत सा तेज नहीं मुझमें, दीपक से जलता देखोगे।

अपनी हद रोशन करने से, तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे, तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे !

मैं उस माटी की वृक्ष नहीं, जिसको नदियों ने सींचा है।

बंजर माटी में पलकर मैंने, मृत्यु से जीवन खींचा है।

मैं पत्थर पर लिखी इबारत हूं। शीशे से कब तक तोड़ोगे,

मिटने वाला में नाम नहीं, तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे, तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे !

इस जग में जितने जुल्म नहीं उतने सहने की ताकत है।

दानों के भी शोर में रहकर सच कहने की आदत है।

मैं सागर से भी गहरी हूं, तुम कितने कंकड़ फेकोगे !

चुन चुन कर आगे बड़ूगी मैं, तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे। तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे!

झुक झुक कर सीधी खड़ी हुई अब फिर झुकने का शौक नहीं।

अपने ही हाथों रचा स्वयं, तुमसे मिटने का खौफ नहीं।

तुम हालातों की भट्टी में जब जब भी मुझको झोकेगे, तब तब सोना बनूंगी मैं

तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे तुम मुझको कब तक रोकोगे !

Thanks to the efforts made by the local Coordinators, I should say the local leaders who are the change-makers by interacting with these girls, motivating their families, bringing confidence for making them self-dependent.

In Lakhimpur, two girls from Punjab, residing in the village, walking more than 6 kms every day to learn the skills and are blessed to have the local leader Seema Singh, who is instrumental in changing their lives. The smiles on their faces and the confidence while talking shows the inner strength.

Similarly, in Mewat, Nuh, Baran, Geejgarh, Gosaiganj, Lucknow, Barabanki and many other places, girls shared their transforming stories. A sense of satisfaction and fulfilment enriches the READ India team apart from fulfilling the commitments to the donor. The same voices across the country in selected geographies show the sustained holistic development, will show the ripple effect in coming years, the way transformation in the society takes the shape.

In Lucknow, many stories of transformation, where the girls have learnt multiple skills and are making others to learn. They do not have words to thank the local Coordinators to make them learn and earn.

In Badagaon of Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, Sana says, in the past four years, multiple skills have been given to the girls and for them the meaning of International Women’s Day is self-empowerment.

In Gosaiganj, Lucky says she has taught more than 400 girls stitching and sewing and many girls are earning money to meet their own expenses and continuing their education for further development, realizing their own dreams.

These girls are not economically that sound, but positivity, family bonding, zeal to do something, looking towards more opportunities are the few steps to share up their lives is the real meaning of International Women’s Day for READ India and its senior management team.