Dear change makers of CIF, The last two years have been anything but easy. The pandemic took lives and paved the way for the exploitation of many. However, amidst all this, you have proven time and again that you are the living definition of empowerment.  Though we celebrate you each day, today on the occasion...

Hailing from socio-economically deprived Devadasi communities, children from villages of North Karnataka go through complex challenges. They are denied basic respect and rights, and are discriminated against; let alone the economic crisis that comes with it.  To bring them out of these stressful situations and empower them mentally and emotionally, our project Children GOOD conducts...

In a small hamlet of Verpala village of Andhra Pradesh, 15-year-old Vicky lived with his middle-aged parents and a younger brother. On a Sunday afternoon in late January 2022, Vicky’s father complained of running a fever and severe body pain. When Vicky checked his temperature, the mercury of the thermometer stopped at 104 degrees. Worried...

In the small village of Yalgur, Bijapur district at the banks of the Krishna river lives 15-year-old Lekha (name changed). With a little black bindi on her forehead, hair pleated in a braid and a bag full of books, she walks around her lush-green village carrying a beaming smile. One can easily ignore the fact...

On a bright sunny morning of July 3rd 2022, 16-year-old Pragya* from Palya village of Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka, passed her 10th standard with good grades in all subjects. After receiving her mark sheet from school she walked home swinging her two long braids, excited to share the happiness with her parents. Little did she know...

15-year-old Bina loved school; the mighty wooden benches, the sound of the chalk striking the blackboard, the ring of the bell, and the laughter of her friends. It was a place where she found hope and joy. But on 7th September 2021, when she looked at her school uniform hanging palely on her door, gloom...

When a child marriage takes place, the girl bride is often expected to drop out of school. Taking care of the family, managing household chores and bearing children are some of the notions imposed on girls soon after marriage. Amidst all this, it becomes difficult for a child bride to pursue education, let alone think...

Ajay, Geeta, and Shreya sit in a circle with 23 other children and share their ideas on how children from nearby villages can also become part of this children’s group. The thread tying these 25 children together is empowerment. Many of these children were once victims of child labour in the Mica mines of Jharkhand. ...

Did you know that as per the Library of Medicine,2018, India has the highest prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy, and is home to the largest number of pregnant anaemic women in the world? Out of the many negative effects child marriages have on young girls, becoming a malnourished- anaemic young mother is a prominent consequence. In...

It was Akhila’s wedding day. She was only 15. She sat on the dais, putting on a bright red saree, feeling like a lamb dressed for sacrifice. She prayed; a soft but sincere hymn. She didn’t want this to be happening. If only she could vanish or maybe fly. She felt so helpless. And then,...