Faces of change: Kayma

It is impossible to really document the faces of change in the areas where Doosra Dashak works. But some stories just have to be shared. In our "faces of change" series, we will attempt to do just that. Here is Kayma's story.

Kayma comes from a small village in the Thar Desert, fairly close to the India-Pakistan border. She is Muslim. As is the norm in her community, and in many parts of Rajasthan, she was married at the age of 9, but lived with her parents until she was 15. Kayma had received barely two years of schooling before she got married.

The Doosra Dashak field team invited Kayma to attend one of the four month all-girls residential educational programs. Here, she reached the education level of a 4th grade student, and imbibed Doosra Dashak values. Motivated by her time with Doosra Dashak, Kayma was determined to continue her education; yet the nearest school from her village was over 5 miles away. So she recruited several friends, and together the eight girls demanded that Doosra Dashak provide them bicycles to ride to school. Doosra Dashak agreed, but it was left to the girls to convince their families to allow them to continue their education. Kayma managed to persuade not only her own grandmother and entire family, but also her in-laws, as well as her friends’ families. These girls are now attending secondary school, and ride together to school on their bicycles.

Kayma was selected by UNFPA as a case of an empowered adolescent who pursued education against all odds, and she was asked to address the UN General Assembly in October 2006. Unfortunately, she was refused a US visa and was unable to attend. There was, however, a photography exhibition featuring Doosra Dashak at the General Assembly.