Within the communities where we work, the girl-child is placed in a very vulnerable position due to several deeply embedded social morals and practices. In Gujarat, as elsewhere in India, the gender balance situation is so unequal that it has led to a large deficit in the number of females. It is a glaring fact that a large percentage of women are not getting their due value from the time they are born or even before!

Alongside economic and infrastructural development, people also need to reassess the way they think. By promoting attitudinal changes, VIDYA aims to create an environment in which there is [an]:

• Increase in girl-child literacy and numeracy leading to the increase in school admissions
• Increase in girl-child access to primary health care including immunisations
• Increase in girl-child access to proper nutrition
• Improvement in observable health indicators for the girl-child
• Decrease in deliberate abortion of female foetuses
• Decrease in girl-child labour
• Decrease in domestic and sexual violence affecting the girl-child
• Equal treatment of girls and boys

We believe that all these factors will contribute in the long run to enhancing the situation of the girl-child whose improved status will assist in the alleviation of poverty.

We recognize the role of the entire community in fulfilling these objectives. By adopting a broad-based approach, VIDYA has steered away from pigeon-holing problems specific to the girl-child.

VIDYA explores a range of related concerns including:

Back to Top