Education has become one of the most important activities of the Veerni Project. The team has set up several girls' secondary education centers in the villages. But it is often very difficult for many girls to attend because of household chores or field work. As a solution a boarding school was established in 2005 in Jodhpur to accommodate girls from the poorer rural villages and allow them uninterrupted education. 39 Girls signed up for this first year. For the school year 2007-08, 85 girls have enrolled. All the girls live in the hostel and follow the secondary school curriculum. In addition they attend art and sports programs and receive computer training.

India has made impressive gains in reducing the male-female gap in the primary enrollment rate. But 20% of children aged 6-14 are still not in school and millions of women remain illiterate despite the spurt in female literacy in the 1990's. In rural Rajasthan only 5% of women are literate.

The education system is inadequately developed with a shortage of resources, schools, teachers and materials. In most villages in Rajasthan, the government provides primary schools. These vary in their educational standards, and even poor villagers try to send their children to village-based private schools for better education. Secondary schools are usually located at some distance from the villages. Parents who can't afford the cost of transportation or claim their daughters are at risk of sexual harassment simply do not send them to school. However, parents often do not attach much value to their daughters' education. The girls are expected to take care of siblings, help with household chores and fieldwork and subsequently get married off at an early age, at which point they move in with the in-laws.

A large percentage of girls aged 12-18 does not have the opportunity to further their education. These girls may have a level of basic literacy yet are disempowered by their parents' unwillingness to have them educated further. A second group of girls has slipped through the government education altogether and they are, as a result, completely illiterate.

A sponsorship program has been set up, allowing donors to support individual girls. Monies raised will help the girls through school and into college. Please contact us or click here if you are interested in supporting this program so that more girls can receive an education.