My 2020 Good News: Raised Funds for Education of 44 Girls

Haneen Farid and Disha Panda from Bengaluru share what made their year worthwhile.

(Photo: Arnica Kala/The Quint)

(2020 has been tough on us all. Through ‘2020 Good News’, we wish to focus on events or moments that have offered a glimmer of hope in these unusual times. Haneen Farid and Disha Panda from Bengaluru share what made their year worthwhile.)

You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

This was the driving force for our initiative. We are two passionate 17-year-olds, who have the privilege of an education and the freedom to choose a career path of our liking. However, countless other girls are forced to drop out of school at an early age and work to sustain their families.

In a year so tough for the world, our good news is to have helped bring a change in the lives of 44 girls in Bengaluru.

It all started in February, when 1M1B (1 Million for 1 Billion), a UN accredited non-profit organisation, visited our school and introduced its 1M1B Future Leaders program.

(Photo: Haneen Farid and Disha Panda)

We went through an intense curriculum and were chosen from over 120 students to join the 1M1B Activate Impact Summit 2021 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Our initiative, called Project Arambha, means “beginning” in Kannada. As the name proudly parades, the purpose of this project is to strive to educate underprivileged college girls in India and secure their future.

We have collaboratively raised about Rs 15 lakh towards the college fee of girls from low-income families who are at risk of dropping out amidst the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Funds raised are being utilised to support the college fees of 44 underprivileged students at Sparsha Trust and the Radiant Life Charitable Trust for a duration of three years.