India is home to the largest number of illiterate women in the world (over 200 million) with almost 3 million eligible yet out-of-school girls. More than 60 percent of out of school children in India are girls.
Some of the most marginalised districts with the worst gender indicators are located in the state of Rajasthan. Rajasthan also has the highest number of child marriages and child brides. Almost 50 percent of girls are married before the legal age of 18.
Recognising that education is a catalyst to social change and critical for women empowerment, Vodafone India partnered with Mumbai headquartered NGO Educate Girls to facilitate education of girls from rural Rajasthan for one academic year.
This year, Vodafone India raised Rs 4.5 crore through several initiatives to support the education of over 1,20,000 school girls from Pali, Jalore, Sirohi, Ajmer, Bundi and Rajsamand districts in Rajasthan. Vodafone and Educate Girls supported education of 62,000 girls in Bundi district, one of the most educationally backward districts of Rajasthan with female literacy rate of 46 percent.
One of the highlights of the campaign was participation of Vodafone employees under The Giving Championships, an internal fund raising campaign. Vodafone employees, family and friends raised funds for NGO Educate Girls through various activities. For instance 3 Vodafone employees cycled from Pune to Mumbai to garner funds for this cause.
The Vodafone Foundation in India recognises the power of mobile technology to address some of India’s most pressing challenges relating to education, health, equality and access.
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