Esha’s journey back to education with community support

Esha* is an 11-year-old who lives in a remote village in Sitapur district, Uttar Pradesh. Her father works as a fisherman, and her mother is a farmer. During her birth, her parents were unable to obtain a birth certificate for her. This is an essential document for school enrolment. As a result, Esha’s dream of becoming a teacher was hampered.

One day, while surveying Esha’s village to identify out-of-school girls, Educate Girls’ Field Coordinator Satyam met Esha’s family and explained the importance of education. He assured them that Esha would be enrolled in school as soon as possible. 

The journey wasn’t easy, as the lack of documentation posed a challenge. Satyam supported Esha’s family by helping them obtain the government forms for identification. Finally, Esha was enrolled in the government primary school in grade 1.

Esha’s first day at school was an emotional moment for her and her family. With continuous encouragement from her parents, she began attending school regularly. She embraced the learning environment and slowly, Esha’s confidence grew. She began dreaming of becoming a teacher once again.

Now, Esha is in primary school. Satyam continues to work relentlessly to ensure that every girl in Esha’s village can access education. He helps organise Mohalla Meetings (community meetings) and School Management Committee (SMC) meetings to promote girls’ education in this remote village. With the village’s collective effort, Esha’s community is making significant progress in ensuring that every girl gets access to education.

*name changed to protect minor