Poised to Realize Her Potential:
Janabai Finds Her Voice
Radiant in her shimmering gold sari, Janabai Janardhan Gite took the podium at ICRW's 30th anniversary gala, exuding a remarkable self-assurance that belied her 18 years. Far from her tiny village in India, Janabai brought a distinguished audience of dignitaries to their feet as she described her experience with the Institute for Health Management, Pachod (IHMP), India, which received ICRW's Investing in Women Award for Innovation. Watching her poise and confidence, it was hard to imagine that just five years ago Janabai could not even muster the courage to speak to her own father or older brother.
As the daughter of farmers from Devgaon in Maharashtra, population 200, Janabai had expected to drop out of school by her seventh standard. The school she needed to attend to continue her education was not in her village but three miles away, a frightening distance for a girl who had never traveled outside her small town. She would have been married by 15 and a mother soon after, plagued by the myriad problems that come with child marriage and robbed of the opportunity to reach her full potential.
Instead, Janabai's life is on a radically different track. Her metamorphosis began with IHMP's Life Skills Education Program. Based on the premise that empowering girls improves their health and social status, the one-year course has transformed thousands of teenage girls in a culture that relegates them to second-class citizens.
 |
Janabai in an IHMP classroom |
The program's curriculum focuses on self-sufficiency and covers a wide range of practical lessons, from women's health to using the post office. Janabai not only learned the importance of education, she also learned how to persuade her parents to allow her to continue her schooling. She has completed her 12th standard exam and aspires to become a teacher.
She was also instructed on the negative health and social consequences of early marriage. With her newfound confidence, Janabai prevailed upon her parents to delay her nuptials and those of her two younger sisters, a far cry from the shy 13-year-old too inhibited to articulate her views.
Most importantly, Janabai learned to dream big dreams, and she is empowered to express them. "I have changed a lot because of this program," she said speaking in her native language to the crowd of 500 guests. "I feel I can overcome any difficulty, do any work and realize my dreams."