Dear Well-wishers, The last financial year has been one of new highs and greater reach for Project Nanhi Kali. And this has been possible only because of the generous help of donors and supporters such as yourself, who have enabled us to empower over 350,000 girls till date, including 153,999 girls in this past year. This massive undertaking was made possible thanks to over 4,232 Community Associates who tutor our Nanhi Kalis for 2 hours every day, 6 days a week through the year, working across 5,125 Academic Support Centres in remote tribal and rural pockets, as well as urban slums in 11 states of India. With a firm belief that educating girls will result in the disappearance of social evils existing in our society, Project Nanhi Kali has been reaching out to the most vulnerable girls belonging to underprivileged sections of society. Child marriage, child trafficking and domestic violence against women are sadly daily occurrences in these communities. Being illiterate or having very little education leads to a vicious cycle of exploitation of girls and women in our patriarchal society. With more than 2 decades of ground work, Project Nanhi Kali has enough evidence that education is the only tool which enables girls escape a life of poverty and go on to live a life of dignity. We have witnessed time and again that when a girl learns to read and write, she earns respect from her family and community, and this helps build her confidence and self-esteem. Over the years, we have been pushing ourselves hard to attain our dream of ensuring at least a million girls are educated, and each year, we are getting a step closer to achieving this dream. The combined power of the Project Nanhi Kali Academic Support Centres and N Star Centres will see confident young girls empowered with 21st century skills transforming their lives for the better. It gives me great pleasure to share with you all, the fruits of our efforts in the previous financial year. Entering the state of Gujarat this year, Nanhi Kali began its operations in Jambusar – a backward block in the Bharuch district, which relies heavily on agricultural labour, more so, on child labour. As a result, it was a common sight to see girls working in the fields, and in their free time, taking care of household chores, with no priority given to schooling. It was no surprise that most girls in this block did not complete even their 10th standard. With the generous support of Saint Gobain India Foundation and the Mahindra Group, Project Nanhi Kali is now able to support 5,000 primary school girls in this area, who, we are happy to share, attend school regularly. With continued support, we are confident that these girls will complete their secondary school education. Our biggest success this year was the roll out of the Yellow Tablets through which 49,000 Nanhi Kalis in secondary schools were given access to 18,000 tablets, pre-loaded with smart educational content. Each Nanhi Kali has her unique login ID. These Yellow Tablets act as private tutors for these girls, allowing them to engage and learn at their own unique pace. The innovative and interactive content keeps the girls engaged, resulting in improved learning outcomes and attendance. Assessments are conducted online and only when the content of one chapter is mastered, does the next chapter unlock. Take a look at one of our #RokkeDikhao campaign videos: With much enthusiasm and vigour, we now look forward to another year of pursuing our dream of getting a #MillionGirlsInSchool, through your support and contributions. Thank you for walking on this path with us towards a better India, where a literate and educated female population can help our country Rise. Warm Regards, Sheetal Mehta Trustee & Executive Director, Project Nanhi Kali

Update From The Field Together We Celebrated International Women's Day This year, International Women's Day was celebrated across our project locations with many fun and cultural activities conducted for the Nanhi Kalis, their families and community members, with an aim of sensitising them towards the need of encouraging educating the girl child.

News Update Of The Month Project Nanhi Kali & WAT Consult: The Powerless Queen In an attempt to shed light on how society fails when it leaves its 'Queens' helpless and feeble, Project Nanhi Kali partnered with WATConsult, the digital and social media agency from Dentsu Aegis Network India, and launched an innovative campaign titled, 'Powerless Queen'. Bata: The Special Edition Ballerinas Bata India introduced a special edition of Ballerinas, with illustrations on their inner soles. These illustrations were drawn by kids of Bata Children Programme, a global programme for disadvantaged kids. The special Ballerinas are available across more than 200 stores in India. With each pair sold, Bata will provide Rs. 65 to Project Nanhi Kali. This CSR campaign was launched on March 20, 2018 at a Bata store in Kolkata. The launch attendees included Ms Christine Bata Schmidt, the Director of Bata Shoe Organisation; Manoj Kumar, CEO of Naandi Foundation; and Sheetal Mehta, Executive Director of Project Nanhi Kali and K.C. Mahindra Education Trust. Ms Bata interacted with some of our Nanhi Kalis attending the event and gifted each of them a pair of Ballerinas. Tata AIG: A Day at the Old Age Home An interactive, fun and emotional activity conducted last month was one with 50 Nanhi Kalis and 12 TATA AIG employees, who visited Ram Krishna Briddhashram, an old age home in Khardah. The day started with emotions expressed through folk music and dance by the Nanhi Kalis, which they dedicated to the residents of the home, followed by some fun games played by all. The luncheon was a party full of excitement and laughter, and then the girls had to bid adieu to everyone at the home, but not before exchanging some gifts for all which were sponsored by TATA AIG, and some warm hugs!

We thank all of you, our donors, for your contribution. Your support has kept up our drive to put a #MillionGirlsInSchool.

You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to NanhiKali.org If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here