IIMPACT Initiative Educates and Empowers Girls in Rural India
IIMPACT – Each problem that our society encounters is comparable to a link in a chain. Either directly or indirectly, they are related. According to experts, illiteracy is the root of all problems since it causes a host of others, including poverty, unemployment, child labour, female foeticide, population explosion, and many others.
India’s social and economic development depends on literacy rates. Girls’ literacy is crucial for social fairness and for accelerating social change, among other reasons. Education level and literacy rate are significant determinants of how a society is developing.
Adult men (15-49 years) and women (15-49 years) in India both have literacy rates of 71.5%, according to the National Family Health Survey (NHFS) 2019-21.
According to the 75th round of the NSSO household survey conducted in 2017–18, there are 3.22 billion children in the age range of 6 to 17 who are not enrolled in school, with more than 75% of them being girls.
According to the most recent UNESCO 2020 report, there is a chance that 5 million girls in India alone may not attend school.
The extremely low literacy rate of women in India cannot be attributed to any one cause. It is linked to a variety of elements, such as social, cultural, economic, educational, demographic, political, and administrative. Poor infrastructure, early marriage, the dowry system, giving preference to male children, and other variables are just a few of the significant ones that have an impact on literacy rates.
IIMPACT
One of the many millions of females without access to education was Ranjana (17), a resident of Dhulkot, Haryana. The two grandparents, as well as Ranjana’s sister and two brothers, are all supported by her labourer father. It is challenging for the family to make ends meet on his little wage.
Ranjana spent the majority of her time taking care of her younger sisters and doing housework while the boys were away at school. She also read books. Due to her busy schedule, she was never able to attend school.
However, currently Ranjana is enrolled in Class 12 for free thanks to IIMPACT, a project created by former students of the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India.
Improving lives
The IIM, Ahmedabad class of 1978 alumni gathered for their 25th reunion in December 2002. The group emphasised their wish to accomplish something with social significance as the celebrations came to an end. The following year saw the start of IIMPACT. The name captures the founding members’ aspiration to have a good influence as well as their connections to the IIM.
The registered society decided to prioritise the education of disadvantaged girls. There are a lot of societal issues that demand immediate attention, but none are as compelling as the fact that many girls and women lack basic literacy skills.
Educating disadvantaged females
The organization’s mission statement reads, “Our objective is to organize and motivate non-schooling girls, aged 6 to 14, from economically and socially underdeveloped rural parts of India, and to firmly set them on the track of literacy through excellent primary education.”
The team concentrates on community mobilization with the goal of enhancing access and encouraging enrollment in elementary education. The IIMPACT learning facilities offer these kids a pertinent education. This helps each girl develop autonomous thought while also changing the neighbourhood.
Empower and enable
Ranjana was able to concentrate on both her education and domestic duties when she joined the programme. The centre was close to her house and was regarded as a secure area. For girls in underserved neighbourhoods who are not in school or attend it irregularly, The Learning Center (LC) provides a high-quality education. It strives to give the girls an empowering experience and advances their transition into regular schools.
When Ranjana was sent to continue her studies in a formal setting, biology was her elective choice.
She educated and informed the children who were being denied an education during the lockdown. She spread knowledge about preserving hygiene, donning masks, keeping a social distance, and being immunized.
She has battled for children’s rights for the past three years, and the National Institute of Women, Child & Youth Development recognized her with the “Baal Adhikar Mitra Samman” for her efforts (NIWCYD)
All the girls in her facility look up to Ranjana now. Ranjana has developed into an all-arounder thanks to the support of her parents and the guidance of her teachers.
Nearly 60,000 girls are currently educated by IIMPACT in more than 1500 villages spread across 11 Indian States. Among others, this pertains to Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
