We are raising these funds for

‘What boys can do, girls can do. And what girls can do, boys can do’. A simple, but transformative belief that can change how children see themselves and the world around them. Yet, a 2023 study done in a city in Maharashtra showed, more than 80%of girls in Grade 3 believed girls should cook, play with dolls and be considered gentle; while only 34% of them believed that they could do repairs around the house without a man. Stereotypical beliefs such as these build up over time to break their spirits and hold back their dreams. 

Dharashiv, classified as an aspirational district under the Aspirational Districts Programme by NITI Aayog. As per the 2011 census, the literacy rate in Osmanabad district, Maharashtra, is 15% less for girls than boys, with significant challenges like child marriage hindering girls’ education and future opportunities.

Studies show, storybooks can be powerful agents of change for children. Infact, in an intervention done in Maharashtra by UNICEF and Pratham Books last year, a range of gender equal storybooks were given to the children. After reading them, girls asked the teachers in wonder, “How come girls are doing things like riding a bike, becoming an astronaut?” Boys too would look through illustrations of a father cooking in Angry Akku, and decide to help out at home. A boy even declared, his mother should have her own toolkit for home repairs like the mother in Amma’s Toolkit!

Imagine the difference such storybooks could make, if every single child in Dharashiv could have access to them while growing up. It is this conviction that inspired the CEO of Dharashiv to launch the ‘Read to Dream’ campaign this International Day of the Girl Child, with support from UNICEF Maharashtra. The CEO, Dr. Mainak Ghosh, “Keep studying and reading, no matter what comes your way. This is your launchpad, the key to rising above any challenge and changing your future.”

With this campaign aim to reach 1800 Schools and 72000 children. And you could make it happen. 

So come, donate, and we will ensure 100 percent of it goes into providing storybooks that can change a child’s life. 

Together, we can let our girls, ‘Read to Dream,’

DONATE NOW!