Why India? Why girls?
Gender inequality is the most pervasive form of inequality in India.
Deep-seated mindsets and misconceptions about the inherent value and ability of girls permeate nearly every aspect of Indian society. These beliefs in turn have devastating consequences that affect women and girls throughout their entire lifecycle. From sex-selective abortion, to malnutrition and inadequate medical care owing to gender-based neglect, a girl in India is 50% more likely to die between the ages of 0 and 5.
Nowhere is this inequality more evident than in education.
only 1 in 100 girls
in rural India makes it
to the 12th grade.
64% of adolescent
girls drop of out school
before completing
grade 8.
In secondary education, girls simply fall off a cliff:
They lack access to quality secondary schools.
They have few female role models to look up to.
They have few female role models to look up to.
In short, India’s 105 million girls are
being left behind.
The ground reality
#1
India’s rank in
adolescent
pregnancies
17%
Of girls drop out before
completion of
secondary school
23%
Of women aged
20-24 are married
before age 18
Priority Outcomes
Secondary Education
at Marriage
Agency
Tackling the root causes of gender inequality requires an equally far-reaching solution—it requires a radical shift in mindsets. India needs strong, visible female role models to lead transformative social change and reshape cultural mindsets.
Avasara Academy provides a simple but radical solution. It taps into India’s greatest resource to find the “brightest of a billion” girls; it provides a pathway to success through academic rigor and holistic leadership development; and it provides a lifelong network of support and opportunity as students lead change in their homes, communities, and the world beyond, and serve as role models for others.
Through the efforts and successes of each Avasara student, we believe that the deep-rooted mindsets that have held women and girls in India back for generations can and will change.