This is Sonal. We met her on one of our Service Trips. She is one of the many girls who was married at the age of 13, because her parents could not afford to support another girl-child.
If a girl is educated and able to bring income into the family, she is less likely to be married off at an early age.
The Scholarship Program takes 100% of your donation to fund a girl like Sonal's education and prevent child marriage. The parents sign a contract that disallows them to marry their daughter off till she finishes college. In the past two years, we have given out 12 scholarships.
We have also started a Mentorship Program, to give support to the top students, starting from 9th grade.
My Kahaani is a story about a girl and her happy
childhood. Unlike most memoirs, there is no tragedy here. Bati (née Bharti) was not a 'slum dog' kid, nor was she born in a brothel. Born in Bombay,
she grew up speaking English at home, learned French at school and sang along with the Beatles. Her father taught her how to
eat fondue and play
roulette.
Connections with the Indian film industry had her family hobnobbing with the likes of Raj Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar, directors and producers.
Written with great humor, Bati describes an unusual life lived with an extended family, ayahs, cooks and drivers.
The College
Scholarship Program
Each hardcover book comes beautifully packaged in a box.
My Kahaani: A special way to support the program
Our Scholarship girls
Twenty-two girls have been given scholarships so far. Not one girl has failed even one test so far. That's how committed they are to the program. Only one girl has dropped out, regrettably, due to family problems.
Some of the students want to do their Masters, which we are happy to support. The clause 'don't-get'married' still stands, until they finish their education. Studies have shown that the higher the education, the better off they will be for their careers and for their future marriage prospects as well.
The book is available for a generous donation of $ 100 - all of which goes towards the Scholarship Fund. We cover the cost of tuition, books and transportation. The more money we raise, the more scholarships we can give out and prevent child-marriages in our own small way.
Go to www.mykahaani.org to order your copy today!