Help More Girls Like Saba Stay in School

Summary

Saba is 15. She lives in Shivaji Nagar—one of Mumbai’s largest informal settlements where dreams often get buried under the weight of daily survival.

But Saba had a dream: to study commerce and build a better future. When she cleared her Class 10 exams and got admission to a junior college 15 km away, she was ecstatic.

Her family, however, was not. The distance seemed too far. The city too unsafe. They decided it was time for her to stop studying.

For many girls here, that would’ve been the end of the story.

But Saba had someone in her corner.

She had a Saheli, a peer mentor from the School Saheli Program run by Apnalaya, with support from INDIAdonates. Her Saheli wasn’t just a mentor; she was a role model, a friend, and someone who had walked a similar path. With encouragement from Apnalaya staff, the Saheli visited Saba’s home and spoke to her father gently, persistently, and with empathy. Slowly, his fears turned into hope. And Saba got her second chance.

But thousands of girls won’t, unless we act now.

In Shivaji Nagar, 38% of girls drop out of school and are married before they turn 18. The reasons are cruelly simple: poverty, lack of support, and social pressure. Most girls have no one to advocate for their right to learn.

We want to change that. Apnalaya is expanding the School Saheli Program to reach 50 more adolescent girls, especially from the most vulnerable families daily wage earners who can’t afford to dream beyond the next meal.

Here’s how your support can help transform lives:

• Girls will be grouped into 5 mentorship clusters led by college-going young women from the same community.
• Each Saheli (mentor) will receive training to guide, counsel, and run confidence-building sessions with the girls.
• Every girl will receive a ₹500 monthly scholarship for 10 months—as long as she stays in school.
• Parents will be engaged through community sessions that open their minds to the power of education—and the future they can help unlock for their daughters.

This isn’t just about school. It’s about choice. It’s about freedom. It’s about making sure that girls like Saba don’t have to fight alone.

You can be the reason another girl stays in school. Let’s come together before more dreams are cut short.