Recent News
How my story became part of HerStory
In March of 2018, I participated in an event organized by Litworld and Global G.L.O.W for Her Story Summit as a parallel program on the United Nations Status of Women (CSW62) in New York city. As a partner organization to LitWorld and Global GLOW, Rukmini...
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Celebrating IWD and Pressing for Progress in our village communities
Rukmini Foundation celebrated International Women's Day 2018 (IWD18) in two different rural communities in Nepal with the goal of spreading awareness against Child Marriage, Substance Abuse and Violence Against Women. The two villages where we celebrated this day was...
read moreThe Challenge
Poverty has many causes, but too often the biggest victims are women and girls, and without access to education, the cycle of poverty and discrimination continues for generations of the poorest girls and women in places like Nepal.
Due to economic challenges for many families in Nepal, Girls, especially ones from rural areas, are forced to drop out of school to support their family. By dropping out of school, these girls miss out on education and any opportunity to change the course of their future.
Nepal | Facts & Figures
%
Female Youth Literacy rate in Nepal
%
Child marriage from 15-18 years
56,883
Girls out of Primary School
1,200
Women die every year giving birth
The Solution
The girls who are often the biggest victims of poverty are in fact the most important agents of change in solving those issues. Educating a girl is considered one of the greatest investment for any nation, especially underdeveloped nations like Nepal. Learn about Rukmini’s unique approach to tackling these issues through our Holistic programs.
Quality Education
An educated girl has the power to transform her life. It gives her the foundation to make her own choices and gives her a voice to speak for herself. A quality education prepares her for future academic opportunities as well as economic opportunities.
Health & Wellness
Along with a quality education and mentoring, Rukmini Foundation also provides the girls with routine check-ups and health education so that they and their families can remain healthy and secure.
Mentoring
Simply being able to go to school is not enough. The girls need to believe in themselves and their huge potential. We ensure this by providing supportive mentoring from elder sisters (Didis) who guide the girls through the challenges of school and home and help to build their esteem and confidence.
Our Results
Despite the many challenges we face, our team has been able to produce extraodinary results. The successes are attributed to many factors, including: support from community leaders, great partnership with local organizations in Nepal, engagement with parents, and the tireless work of our team in Nepal. Last, but certainly not least, the courage and dedication of the Rukmini Scholars has led to some amazing results.
Success by the numbers
So, how successful have we been in addressing these huge challenges? Just see for yourself how much your support has allowed us to do since 2011.
%
of our scholars have either remained in school or graduated.
In just 5 years, we have been able to help ensure that 24 girls have graduated from high school through our programs.
Provided training to 40 Teachers from this area
Mentors covered 78 Miles visiting Scholar's Home
The Faces of Hope
Get to know the girls who are forging a new path for their lives through education. Learn about their families, their interests, and the challenges they are trying to overcome.
Success Story
Susmita was one of the 10 original Rukmini Scholars and came from an impoverished background. Being one of the first scholars, she had a difficult time seeing the value of things like the mentoring (Didi) program and the many extracurricular programs that Rukmini organized at school.
After graduating from high school and joining a 10+2 school, Susmita began to see what she was missing by not being involved in the mentoring programs. Luckily for us, Susmita is now working as a mentor to new scholars and helping them see the importance of having a mentor.
In the last 5 years, Susmita has not only completed high school, but she is pursuing a Bacherlor’s Degree at Shikharapur College. She will also serve as a coordinator of our afterschool program called LitClub Nepal at Shikharapur School.
When I first became a Rukmini Scholar, I could hardly smile and talk in front of others, but now I can speak in front of groups and I cannot stop smiling.
Susmita Sunar