By working with partner charities across India we will ensure that 7,000 girls from NGOs across India see 'He Named Me Malala', bringing hope and opening their minds to the possibilities that education holds for them. Snehalaya will host an inspirational Gala Event for 750 attendees to celebrate our girls and showcase the work NGOs across India are doing to champion equal rights and gender equality. Patriarchy and hate don't work. It is time to give India back #HerVoice.
In India, 3.7 million girls are out of school. Two out of three of these girls are from poorer communities with estimates suggesting that only 1 in every 100 girls in rural India completes secondary education. But the problem stretches far beyond access. Uneducated girls in India are three times more likely to contract HIV, earn 10 percent less income, and marry three years earlier than educated ones. Without fair representation girls are seen as worthless and patriarchy falsely prevails.
Our project taking Malala's story directly to India's rural communities makes a stand against cultural and religious perceptions of what it means to be a girl. Through screenings, educational programs and an inspirational Gala event showcasing the best of India's NGOs, we seek to challenge attitudes of male privilege. In breaking down the barricades that prevent girls from completing secondary education, we hope to give girls increased opportunity and a chance to build a better future.
Education is one of the most critical areas of empowerment for women. Educating girls mobilizes communities to take a stand against gender inequality and is proven to have a profound affect on women's health outcomes, reduced child marriage, huge improvements in earning potential and political agency. The UN states that educating women is imperative in reducing global poverty and inequality.
