"I should get the same opportunities as my brother!" - Renu
16-year-old Renu from Jharkhand, India witnessed disparity in her household where preference was given to her brother's education. She was an irregular student and spent her time working in mica processing activities with her mother and sister. It was a story-telling session that inspired her to advocate for her rights!
Renu's struggles
16-year-old Renu lives in a village in the Koderma district of Jharkhand, India with her mother, sister and brother while her father works as a taxi driver in the capital city of New Delhi.
Renu’s mother takes up mica processing work in addition to her father's work in the city. Renu and her sister are often seen helping their mother in mica processing activities. Though Renu’s hands are busy scraping the mica sheets, her attention is on her brother who comes back from school and plays with his friends.
Renu’s family has been very open about the need for her younger brother to be well-educated. Her parents often say to Renu and her sister, “You will eventually get married and do household chores in your in-laws’ house, so don’t worry too much about studies”.
Because of this mindset, Renu was not encouraged to study. Though she never openly questioned this disparity, she didn’t like missing school and would always ask her parents to get her a bicycle so she could regularly go to school which is 10 km away.
“I used to be very sad about not being able to attend school every working day. It was tiring after walking a distance of 10 kilometres. I also had to work. I could only attend school every alternate day. I should get the same opportunities as my brother”, she said.
Listening to stories of empowerment
But things changed for Renu when she heard an inspiring story. As part of our Mica Project in India, she attended one-hour participatory sharing and learning sessions for adolescent children.
During these sessions, the children listened to 6 impactful audio stories. Each of the stories had a child character who faced problems and found creative ways to overcome them. The objective of sharing these stories was to give children an example to learn from and emulate. After listening to each story, children were asked to present their learnings creatively.
When Renu heard the story of Ruksana, she felt she wasn’t alone. Ruksana was a girl who dreamed big and was yelled at and made fun of for having dreams. But Ruksana overcame her challenges with determination and willpower by receiving her father’s support in fulfilling her dreams.
Renu could relate to Ruksana. She felt empowered to share with her father her desire to get a bicycle and go to school regularly. She believed that just like Ruksana she could also be positive about achieving her dreams. She realised that she had the right to study and she shouldn’t let her circumstances get the best of her.
Renu made drawings of a girl with a school bag on a bicycle, a girl studying in the classroom, a group of girls playing hopscotch and her dream of being an architect. When her father returned to the village for the Diwali break, she showed him these drawings and expressed her concerns regarding her irregular studies.
Renu's parents learn
With support from the field staff, Renu shared with her parents the importance of education for girl children and did not hesitate to voice out her need for a bicycle.
Renu’s parents realised that they were being partial towards their son and felt guilty for discriminating against their little girls. Renu’s father decided to buy Renu a bicycle so she could focus on her studies and fulfil her dreams of being independent.
“I am very happy for Renu and the fact that all my children happily continuing their education. I am delighted that Renu approached and convinced me about providing education to girls. I bought a bicycle for Renu. I want her to attend school regularly”, said Renu’s father.
Our staff also ensured that Renu and her sister were not engaged in mica processing activities. They continue to participate in children's club sessions.