Scholarship for 10 girls

Hope Unlimited supports ten girls with a scholarship. The students, who come from marginalized communities, were identified with the help of Action Aid. The ten are: Dhanusri V, Eklishia S, Shobana Devi, Venisha, S Shakthi, Kaviya, Sona R, Devasena, Nakshathra M and Kanishka K. Here are some of their stories.

Kaviya is a 15-year-old girl living with her single mother in Choolaimedu, Chennai (see photo). Her mother works as a domestic worker, an occupation within the informal sector characterised by low wages and no social security benefits. Kaviya is in Grade 10, a crucial year that will determine her future academic and career choices. The mother's income is barely adequate even to cover daily living expenses and hence she struggles to pay Kaviya’s tuition fee and school needs. Many families in similar situations are forced to prioritise immediate survival over long-term goals, a major factor for high dropout rates among adolescents.

Shobana Devi is in Grade 8, a crucial year for the 13-year old as she goes to high school next year. It is at this age that the dropout rate for many girls from marginalised communities increases due to a variety of reasons, including poverty. Shobana’s father deserted the family six years ago and has since remarried. The girl’s mother, Jothilakshmi, works as a domestic help to support the family on an income which barely keeps them alive. Despite the hardship, Jothilakshmi is determined that Shobana and her seven-year-old brother should stay in school. And her daughter would like the same. Shobana Devi, who is now a student of a private school in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, wants to continue her schooling and dreams of a better future.

Kanishka is a 10th Grade student from Vetrapatti village, Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu. Since losing her mother nine years ago, the girl lives with her father, grandmother and her sister Dharshika, a 6th Grade student at the same state school. Kanishka’s father, Kumar, is a daily wage labourer with an annual income of 72,000 Rs per year. With this meagre income, he struggles to manage household expenses, the care of both daughters and that of his ailing mother. When there is no regular work, the family faces additional financial stress, forcing Kumar to borrowing money to cover essential expenses. Despite the lack of resources, he is determined to support his daughters’ education.

(November 2025)