AN INITIATIVE TO RESPOND TO THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) CRISIS IN URBAN SLUMS AND RURAL AREAS OF INDIA
Girls Audio Storytelling Project
- Every day a new inspiring audio story creates positive hope for girls and their family members who are isolated at home.
- Our initiative helps more than 5000 girls in urban and rural India through the power of audio storytelling.
- We deliver quality literacy building opportunities to these girls by providing a new inspiring audio story every day!
The Challenge We Face
Due to the coronavirus pandemic and continuous lockdown, girls living in urban slums and rural areas throughout India are facing many challenges to access quality learning resources at home. Ongoing social distancing and limited finances, even to fulfil the daily basic needs of family members, are impacting adolescent girls mentally and emotionally.
There are not enough educational resources available, nor are there learning platforms that girls can regularly access. Adolescent girls from slum and rural areas are being held back educationally due to this lack of quality learning resources in their homes.
“This is not a drill. This is not the time to give up. This is not a time for excuses. This is a time for pulling out all the stops”. Coronavirus update: 290 million students now stuck at home – United Nations News, Mar 5, 2020.
Our Innovative Solution
In April 2020, Aarti Naik and the team of SAKHI for Girls Education launched the Girls Audio Storytelling Project with the strong support of Prerna Ghodake. Prerna is a girl in 8th standard who has excellent skills in audio recording and storytelling. Every day she records a new inspiring audio story in Hindi, Marathi, or English to be shared with thousands of home-bound girls in urban slums and rural areas via WhatsApp.
The SAKHI team has joined forces with classroom teachers to share these inspiring audio stories on a daily basis. SAKHI and the teachers are creating WhatsApp groups for the parents of children in slum areas and rural villages, so they can provide learning opportunities to girls through a new audio story each day. Mothers of adolescent girls are taking leadership on behalf of their daughters, Together, mothers and daughters are enjoying listening to these inspiring audio stories every day at home.
Our Project Leader
Aarti Naik, a slum-based young woman Changemaker, has been educating girls from her slum area since 2008. She is based in the suburban area of Mulund (w), Mumbai, India. Twelve years ago, she was a school drop-out girl herself, but she never gave up on her life challenges. Today she helps more than 400 girls continue their school education more confidently with quality learning. Aarti is the founder and director of SAKHI for Girls Education. Her organization creates safe and quality learning spaces for slum-based girls through a variety of educational initiatives, such as the Girls Audio Storytelling Project
Listen to some of our recorded stories here:
GADHA & DHOBI (Hindi)
DO GHADE (Hindi)
EKA KUTRYACHI GOSHT (Marathi)
THE SELFISH HORSE (English)
CHALAK BANDAR (Hindi)
DHEYAPRAPTI (Marathi)
RABBIT & TORTOISE (English)
MERE AKELESE KYA HOGA (Hindi)
To receive daily stories in Hindi, Marathi and English from the Girls Audio Storytelling Project, message your WhatsApp number to 9224145705. Or subscribe to our YouTube channel.
BE A SAKHI
This Initiative Needs Your Support!
Every day we need 765 IND ($10 USD) to create a new inspiring audio story for home-bound girls.
- To create 30 audio stories per month, we need 22,950 INR ($300 USD)
- To pay expenses for internet and telephone communication with girls in rural and urban slum areas, we need 5,000 INR ($66 USD) per month.
- We are also seeking financial support to purchase quality software for audio recording and additional audio equipment. The one-time cost will be 50,000 INR ($660 USD).
Please give what you can.
Support Girls Audio Storytelling Project
NRI / FOREIGN DONORS
VIA CITIZEN ANGEL, A US-BASED 501(C)(3) CHARITY
Aarti Naik’s work to educate Indian girls is funded by Sahityaratna Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe Bahuudeshiya Samajik Sanstha (SLASBSS), a registered charity in Maharashtra, India. When you donate online to Citizen Angel, 100% of the funds received are granted to SLASBSS to support Sakhi’s Girls Audio Storytelling Project. Citizen Angel and SLASBSS retain no percentage of these funds.
INDIAN DONORS
VIA PAYUMONEY FROM WITHIN INDIA
All donations are eligible for 50% tax exemption under section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
Donors located in India can donate directly to Sakhi for Girls Education via PayUMoney.