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We are retired teachers who want to help a bright young woman that Alayne worked with in India to achieve her goal of higher education. Neha Devi is a 23-year-old motivated young woman from a rural village in India. She was so close to realizing her dream of gaining a Masters degree in International Business, and had been accepted into Kingston University in Germany, a phenomenal achievement for a girl with her background.
Neha’s efforts reflect well the spirit and the values of the United Nations’ theme for the 2019 International Day of the Girl Child, entitled Girl Force: Unscripted and Unstoppable. Started in 2011, this day recognizes girls’ rights and the unique challenges they face all over the world. It promotes the empowerment of girls everywhere, while also advocating for the attainment of basic human rights, such as education and bodily autonomy. Neha’s journey exemplifies these values.
Unfortunately, Neha hit a snag when the university required her to set up an “Individualized Blocked Bank Account” with 10,000 Euros (11,429.50 USD) as a safeguard to cover tuition and health insurance expenses. She doesn’t have it, though she has been accepted into the university. She must raise the funds before obtaining her Visa.
Neha is an amazing example of the perseverance that one person can make against the most challenging obstacles, but she needs help for this last leg. You can read the letter from her below as she shares her inspiring story! Any little bit that you can donate will help her seize the opportunity to not only realize her dream of joining the international world of business, but to be an inspiration to other girls and young women.
Neha writes—
Dear Friends,
As a girl growing up in a rural Indian village in a family that sold homegrown fruit and wheat in the wholesale market, I became interested in business at an early age. Business was survival. If our family business did well, we could buy the food and necessities we needed. If it failed, we would go hungry.
I loved school, but my parents expected me to get married after high school. I pleaded with them for months to send me to college. Finally, when they saw my determination, they gave in. The next challenge was to come up with 3000 rupees for each 6 months college tuition. So I started stitching clothes for people and doing embroidery on woolen shawls. Eventually, I had enough money to pay my college fee.
In college, I learned to start up and run a business, and to build trust between clients. I also learned how to speak up for myself. Before this, I was a quiet girl, as village girls should be. But in college, I discovered my voice—-that I even had a voice. I had ideas I wanted to talk about. I realized that college was important for everyone—not just boys, so I went around the village encouraging parents to send their daughters. I can’t say that everyone appreciated a young girl speaking up like this, but some did. I’m happy to say that some village girls got to go to college because of my new speaking skills.
After I graduated from college, an organization that was helping a neighboring village asked if I would translate from English to Hindi for them. Afterwards, they asked if I would like to come work for them. I said yes! This was the first time I had ever left my village. For the next three years, I was a Program Officer. My job was to communicate with field workers in my district and work on-site in the villages. During this time, I also personally witnessed how a smart business plan could help women with no previous business experience become very successful.
A Master’s in International Business is not just something I want, it is something I must have in order to fully participate in the world. Without the knowledge and experience a Master’s program in international business provides, I cannot follow my dream. After graduation, my dream is to start a small business in India that helps small villages take the sale of their herbs to a national and international level.
I truly believe that higher education can make a huge difference in a girl’s life. As a successful business woman from a rural Indian village, I will also be a role model and support for girls and young women who want to create their own lives. Some parents want their children to get educated, but they lack money. I feel I can help them earn income to support this, and also help them understand the importance of girls being educated.
Thank you so much for donating. I hope to give it back some day—-to other village girls who need support and encouragement.
Neha Devi
Neha’s efforts reflect well the spirit and the values of the United Nations’ theme for the 2019 International Day of the Girl Child, entitled Girl Force: Unscripted and Unstoppable. Started in 2011, this day recognizes girls’ rights and the unique challenges they face all over the world. It promotes the empowerment of girls everywhere, while also advocating for the attainment of basic human rights, such as education and bodily autonomy. Neha’s journey exemplifies these values.
Unfortunately, Neha hit a snag when the university required her to set up an “Individualized Blocked Bank Account” with 10,000 Euros (11,429.50 USD) as a safeguard to cover tuition and health insurance expenses. She doesn’t have it, though she has been accepted into the university. She must raise the funds before obtaining her Visa.
Neha is an amazing example of the perseverance that one person can make against the most challenging obstacles, but she needs help for this last leg. You can read the letter from her below as she shares her inspiring story! Any little bit that you can donate will help her seize the opportunity to not only realize her dream of joining the international world of business, but to be an inspiration to other girls and young women.
Neha writes—
Dear Friends,
As a girl growing up in a rural Indian village in a family that sold homegrown fruit and wheat in the wholesale market, I became interested in business at an early age. Business was survival. If our family business did well, we could buy the food and necessities we needed. If it failed, we would go hungry.
I loved school, but my parents expected me to get married after high school. I pleaded with them for months to send me to college. Finally, when they saw my determination, they gave in. The next challenge was to come up with 3000 rupees for each 6 months college tuition. So I started stitching clothes for people and doing embroidery on woolen shawls. Eventually, I had enough money to pay my college fee.
In college, I learned to start up and run a business, and to build trust between clients. I also learned how to speak up for myself. Before this, I was a quiet girl, as village girls should be. But in college, I discovered my voice—-that I even had a voice. I had ideas I wanted to talk about. I realized that college was important for everyone—not just boys, so I went around the village encouraging parents to send their daughters. I can’t say that everyone appreciated a young girl speaking up like this, but some did. I’m happy to say that some village girls got to go to college because of my new speaking skills.
After I graduated from college, an organization that was helping a neighboring village asked if I would translate from English to Hindi for them. Afterwards, they asked if I would like to come work for them. I said yes! This was the first time I had ever left my village. For the next three years, I was a Program Officer. My job was to communicate with field workers in my district and work on-site in the villages. During this time, I also personally witnessed how a smart business plan could help women with no previous business experience become very successful.
A Master’s in International Business is not just something I want, it is something I must have in order to fully participate in the world. Without the knowledge and experience a Master’s program in international business provides, I cannot follow my dream. After graduation, my dream is to start a small business in India that helps small villages take the sale of their herbs to a national and international level.
I truly believe that higher education can make a huge difference in a girl’s life. As a successful business woman from a rural Indian village, I will also be a role model and support for girls and young women who want to create their own lives. Some parents want their children to get educated, but they lack money. I feel I can help them earn income to support this, and also help them understand the importance of girls being educated.
Thank you so much for donating. I hope to give it back some day—-to other village girls who need support and encouragement.
Neha Devi