journey ⁽⁷⁾

A couple in their late thirties, doing what they see others around them doing - men working as farm laborers and women in MNREGA. A life of daily wages. But their life at home is different from most homes in that village of 250 homes. Raising three daughters and two sons, they try to build perseverance, hope, and hard-work in them. Even on the most difficult days, they ensure that kids go to the local government school, study at home, and are not pushed into daily wage work. It's not only the first generation getting education, it is the first…

How many steps does it take? On March 8th, we started a new tradition! And on October 11th, we solidified it! On International Day of the Girl Child, girls across six locations in Rajasthan completed their 10 week NEEV program! Surrounded and cheered on by their coaches, teachers, and champions, the girls ran through village roads, town lanes, campus tracks and much more. The common was the unprecedented joy in their hearts and the shine in their eyes! With their 5k, they collectively completed 1.25 crore steps in the program! Yes, you read it right - 12.5 Million steps. What…

A 9 year girl shows up late to the village government school, once again. The newly joined Physical Training Instructor (PTI) at the school asks her to take a run around the school grounds, as a form of punishment. While she is running, the PTI notices some sort of even pacing through-out her run. He puts her in the school Kho-Kho team. She starts excelling, and by the time she completes her 8th grade at the school, she has played at many state level competitions. Along with many girls of her village, she joins the high school in a nearby…

On March 8th 2022, when the world was celebrating ‘International Women’s Day’, a group of 26 young girls stepped on a small village road in Likhmewala 27PS, Rajasthan to complete their 5 kilometer run! It was the moment they had been preparing for the last 15 weeks. It was unprecedented, exhilarating, and festive! They had neither experienced the freedom of the road nor the thunderous clapping of the villagers upon return. But what they knew all along these 15 weeks is that they were learning new habits, getting stronger, making new friends, and enjoying running! Which is why we started…

We close the year 2021 in an upbeat mood! What started as a career awareness event in collaboration with BSF in early October, turned into a 15 day preparatory training for students! All thanks to some exceptional individuals at BSF including the leadership at BSF Rajasthan, Sri Ganganagar and Sri Karanpur (77 Battalion!). In a first for the village and the school, a group of 38 students from 11th and 12th grade underwent training every morning from 8 am to 10 am. 24 Girls and 14 boys showed up on the school grounds amidst bitter cold, fog, and clouds. The…