Pragati Scholarship for School Going Girls

Pragati Scholarship is an initiative by Saath Charitable Trust with an aim to provide scholarships to the girl child in below-poverty-line (BPL) families living in the urban and rural areas of Mundra taluka in Gujarat. The scholarship will be awarded to cover the education-related expenses of the 120 beneficiaries.

Need

In India, large disparities remain, particularly for the retention and continuation of education for girl children. At least 1.6 million girls in India remain out of school. Some of the major underlying causes behind prevailing poor participation in education and the high dropout rate among girls are poverty and entrenched patriarchy; safety and security of girls; distance between home and school and lack of transport; lack of conducive school infrastructure; poor quality of education etc. Moreover, COVID- 19 pandemic has affected girls’ education disproportionately. It is estimated that nearly 10 million secondary school girls in India could drop out of school due to the pandemic, putting them at risk of early marriage, early pregnancy, poverty, trafficking, and violence.

Our Interventions

The goal of the scholarship will be to transform the lives of girl children of BPL families. This is ensured by supporting them to continue with their higher education and helping them pursue their career dreams. The scholarship will be given for three academic years. Through these 120 girls from BPL families who complete Class 9th in the academic year 2021-22 with at least 60% marks are being reached and benefit for higher education.

The key activities involved in the scholarship program are:

1. Community Mobilisation and Outreach
2. Selection Process for Received Applications
3. Felicitation of Scholarships
4. Mentorship and Periodic Interaction with Girl children

Outcomes

Presently the community mobilisation for outreaching the Pragati Scholarship is underway. The team has successfully achieved the following in the process of community mobilisation:

• 52 villages visited, with 9 community meetings hosted
• 65 schools and Anganwadi visits and engage in discussions.
• 42 PRI members involved in the community awareness.
• 15 posters pasted, and 20 banners framed in busy public spaces.
• More than 210 scholarship applications have been filled till now.