H for Her
HEMLATA’s vision is to build an empowered workforce of female leaders, thus shaping the future for young women to lead lives of dignity and purpose. Human Dignity should not be based on hierarchy, wealth, religion, race or place of birth.
When resources are limited, it becomes even more important to understand why providing “Quality Education” for girls matters. When we speak about girls’ education in India, we must approach this with the dignity and an understanding of how a focussed approach can change lives for the better.
HEMLATA is committed to creating sustainable impact by identifying and providing talented girls, from India’s lowest socio-economic strata, with H100 Impact Scholarships to quality tertiary college education in India. In doing so we are creating an environment for our H100 Scholars to step out of their cycle of inter-generational poverty and support the next generation towards quality education. By means of the holistic HEMLATA 100 Impact Scholarship, we empower our H100 Scholars with quality tertiary education, supported by a Mentor living outside of India and Life-Skills training. Inter-disciplinary learning and internships, round off the scholarship.
Years of hierarchal tradition in India, combined with Patriarchal laws and traditions, have been responsible for passing on the advantage to the male child, over the female, resulting in an imbalance in the opportunities available to girls.
Evidence tells us that the returns from investing in girls are so high that no nation can afford not to educate their girls. Yet, we still see girls left out and sidelined especially when in comes to secondary education and higher education.
When girls are educated, we truly see the investment with the highest return in the world leading to better outcomes in not only the traditional economic areas of growth and incomes but also as mentioned, (by BAIN & CO) “in its positive impact in areas like reducing rates of infant mortality, maternal mortality, child marriage, and the incidence of HIV/AIDS and malaria, along with its positive impact on agricultural productivity, resilience to natural disasters, and women’s empowerment”
Problem: In India, years of hierarchal and patriarchal traditions have been responsible for passing on the advantage to the male child, over the female, resulting in an imbalance in the opportunities available to girls.
Solution: Provide focussed and qualitative intervention to girls from India's lowest socio-economic strata as soon as she has completed school via the H100 IMPACT Initiatve.
We believe this is the best time for intervention, because even if a girl were to finish school, but did not have the support or funds to receive higher education, she can be pulled back into working for the family or would be forced into marriage. Plus, completion of a school degree is not sufficient to be awarded a good salaried paying job.
However, with our intervention, the girl or H100 Scholar, receives the opportunity to go to the best accredited colleges in India, funds that support not just her tuition but boarding, 3 meals a day and a stipend to cover her basic needs. Thus she is able to concentrate on her education, earn a relative income, that can contribute to her family and to society.
“What we are learning around the world is that if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in society, their families will flourish.” Hillary Rodham Clinton, Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 1995
Why should one support the HEMLATA 100 IMPACT initiative?
Our primary goal is to offer our girls tertiary quality education to enable them, the first in their families, to break the cycle of inter-generational poverty and to ensure that they live a life of self-worth and dignity. Years of tradition and culture, in India, have always placed the female at the lowest end of the family spectrum.
Our end goal, with the H100 Impact initiative is to build an empowered work force that can act change-makers and advocates for education, with dignity and purpose.
As Brookings Institution writes: “Many poor parents who choose not to send their girls to school simply do not believe that education can provide an alternative economic path for their daughters. Thus, a greater focus on connecting secondary education to jobs not only provides the existing supply of educated girls with economic opportunities but will inevitably create a positive cycle of demand for more and better education for girls.”
To support our Scholars in college and to ensure results the program is supported by an individual Mentor for each girl, across the 3 years of her college.
The H100 program also supports the scholars with Life-skills based on the WHO standards, designed by a professional coach. Because we believe education along with implementation of life-skills can help to broaden minds and create diversity in thought and perspective.
All too often, we have seen that due to patriarchy and its might, women are usually portrayed in a passive and discriminatory manner. With a dearth of mentors, and an education system that places little focus on the soft skills, participation in leadership and life-skills become critical for success at work.
Education is empowering, but it will be more so if we start focusing on teaching empowerment and leadership skills to girls.
Timeframe: As of June 2021, 18 Scholars are enrolled in the H100 program.
Goal: Our aim is to grow by 20 Scholars every year, to reach 100 Scholars by 2025.