From the Back of the Room to the Center of the Stage: Our GLOW Clubs Shine at a UNESCO Science Fair

By Sanjita Balami
Former GLOW Club Mentor, Rukmini Foundation Didi

I still remember my first GLOW Club meeting years ago. I was a mentor then, not yet on staff. The girls would sit in the back of the room, whisper their answers, and look at the floor when visitors came. If someone asked them a question, they would look at me first—waiting for permission to speak.

So when I stood at the Science & Technology Exhibition and Children’s Talent Hunt Competition on April 9, 2026, and watched our GLOW Club girls present their projects to a room full of strangers, I almost didn’t recognize them.

Gone were the whispers. Gone were the downcast eyes.

In their place? Confidence. Clarity. Courage.

The event was organized by UNESCO National Commission for Nepal, coordinated by Shikharapur Community Learning Center (CLC) , and supported by Dakshinkali Municipality. Fourteen local schools participated. But our GLOW Clubs were not competitors. We were invited as guest participants—and let me tell you, we showed up like we belonged there.

Three Projects, Three Kinds of Brilliance

🟢 Setidevi GLOW Club, Talku – Clean Water from Rain

The girls from Talku brought a working model of a rainwater collection and purification system. One of them explained it simply and beautifully:

“We collect rainwater in a water drum. Then we pass it through big stones, small stones, coal, sand, and cotton in a glass. After that, the water becomes clean and can be used for drinking after boiling.”

Visitors gathered around their table. Adults with clipboards. Teachers from other schools. Even some officials. They asked questions—tough ones sometimes. And every time, the Talku girls answered without hesitation. No looking at me for help. No freezing up.

I just stood back and smiled.

🟢 Shikharapur GLOW Club – A Lung Model That Breathes

The Shikharapur girls built a 3D model of the human respiratory system using a syringe. One member explained:

“This 3D model of the lungs shows how oxygen and carbon dioxide move in and out. Using a syringe, we demonstrate how the lungs work during breathing.”

As they pulled and pushed the syringe, the model “breathed.” Simple. Effective. And absolutely captivating. The girls spoke fluently, made eye contact, and even corrected themselves when they stumbled—without losing confidence.

I watched a young visitor ask, “Can you show me again?” The GLOW member just smiled and did the whole demonstration a second time. Willingly. Happily.

🟢 Setidevi GLOW Club, Sokhel – The Smart Dustbin

The Sokhel team brought something out of the future: a smart dustbin with a servo motor and a microcontroller. One girl explained proudly:

“Just like a computer has a CPU, this has a microcontroller. The servo motor opens and closes the lid automatically.”

When the lid opened on its own, the crowd around their table gasped. Then they laughed. Then they asked more questions. The girls demonstrated again and again as new visitors arrived, never losing energy or enthusiasm.

One of them whispered to me afterward, “Didi, I think they actually liked our project.”

I told her, “They didn’t just like it. They learned from it.”

Supporting Women Entrepreneurs, Because That’s Who We Are

The exhibition also featured local women entrepreneurs (Mahila Udhyami) selling handmade crafts, food items, and household goods.

Our GLOW Club members didn’t just stand at their own tables. They walked around. They looked at what these women had made. And then—in a gesture that made my heart swell—they bought some of the products. Small amounts. Whatever they could.

It wasn’t a lot of money. But it was a big message: We see you. We support you. Because one day, we might be you.

That’s the kind of girls we are raising. Not just scientists. Not just students. Community builders.

What They Won (No Trophy Needed)

Our GLOW Clubs did not compete for prizes. As guest participants, they were not in the running for first place or a certificate.

But they left with something far greater.

Respect. From the 14 schools who watched them present.
Recognition. From the UNESCO officials who took notes.
Experience. From answering hard questions and keeping their cool.
And the unforgettable sight of a room full of people listening to girls who once thought no one would.

One of our Talku girls told me on the bus ride home: “Didi, I used to be scared to talk in class. But today, I talked to everyone.”

That sentence alone made every hour of mentoring worth it.

A Message for Our Supporters

Moments like this don’t happen by accident. They happen because someone believed in these girls before they believed in themselves. They happen because of GLOW Club meetings, mentorship, small scholarships, and the simple act of telling a girl, “You can do this.”

Will you help us keep that belief alive?

Your donation—any amount—helps us run GLOW Clubs, buy materials for science projects, and give girls the chance to stand in front of a room and shine.

➡️ [Donate here] ⬅️

Or share this story. Because the more people who know that rural girls are building smart dustbins and lung models, the more the world will listen.

From Mentor to Staff, My Heart Is Full

I started as a GLOW Club mentor. Now I’m working as a Didi at Rukmini Foundation. And in that time, I have watched girls who couldn’t look me in the eye become young women who explain microcontrollers to strangers.

That is what this work is about. That is the new beginning we celebrate this April.

The Nepali New Year reminds us that every ending is just a chance to start again—stronger, braver, and more ready than before.

Our GLOW Clubs are proof.

Sanjita
Former GLOW Club Mentor | Rukmini Foundation Didi

📸 See photos from the Science & Technology Exhibition: [Flickr]

🌐 Learn more or donate: www.rukminifoundation.org