Girls, Education and Reality

Dear Friends,

Some time ago I came across an article in the news paper that shocked me. It stated how three girls from a village near Chennai jumped into a well because they were harassed by their college. The girls wanted to study, however, their college was fleecing money from them in the form of fees and instead of teaching them, engaged them in menial work. They wrote this in the suicide note. Here is the full article. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/three-medical-students-commit-suicide-in-tamil-nadu-suicide-note-blames-college-and-its-high-fees/1/578293.html

Here I had a chance to reflect how one of the most important things for us at FFLV is to ensure the safety of the girls studying here and creating a healthy environment for them. The girls in the rural areas are already faced with numerous challenges and safety issues every day, even when they are inside their house. Simple things such as walking to the school can be challenging. That is why we ensure that the girls are provided facilities such as transportation to and from the school. 

As we understand the social pressures the girl is under, we ask our teachers to have a healthy relationship with the them so that they find a friend in them and can share their problems. This is very important to ensure that the girls are not under any kind of mental pressure. They should feel that no problem is so big that they have to die for it and they should feel confident that we can help them find a solution the the problem. 

We hope to continue helping these girls and help them become empowered in their lives. This is the only way to enlighten our society and the future of this country.