CRY launches the ‘Girl Interrupted’ initiative to champion secondary education for girls

Special Correspondent

NewsBits.in

NEW DELHI: NGOChild Rights and You (CRY) has unveiled its initiative, ‘Girl Interrupted’, under the larger umbrella of its ongoing ‘Poori Padhai Desh Ki Bhalai’ (complete education, betterment of nation) campaign.

This campaign is a loud call to address one of India’s most pressing issues—an interruption in girls’ education, particularly at the secondary level.

Running from December 2024 to January 2025, the campaign is designed to spark a national conversation and inspire action.

The ‘Girl Interrupted’ initiative shines a spotlight on the stark reality faced by millions of Indian girls as societal norms, financial barriers, and gender biases disrupt their educational journey. These interruptions don't just curtail their potential but significantly hinder societal and national progress.

The initiative mainly involves display of a series of images that make you stop and question why they are incomplete. In a world of technology, this is going back to basics where the ‘Girl Interrupted’ initiative redefines how we perceive disruptions in education by creatively and provocatively showcasing their ripple effect.

From compelling visuals and thought-provoking videos to nationwide awareness activities, every element of this campaign drives home the critical importance of uninterrupted secondary education for India’s girls.

The initiative is conceptualized by TistaThinks – a creative agency - and seeks to emphasize the importance of a woman’s contribution to society and how a nation can prosper when women prosper.

Tista Sen of the agency said "This project is all heart. The issue that as a nation we are losing out because women are interrupted in their pursuit of education is both detrimental to society and a woman’s well-being. We wanted to shake apathy. Question why and more importantly becomes advocates for what is a basic right for the future of women and the country.”

Puja Marwaha, the CEO of CRY said, “In the first phase of Poori Padhai Desh Ki Bhalai, the campaign highlighted how essential it is for girls to complete their school education – not just for them but because the entire nation benefits from it. For us, it was all about driving home that message in an effective way, and ensuring that we left no stones unturned when it came to engaging with all concerned stakeholders and duty bearers in every possible way.”

“During the first three months of the campaign, we ensured that 1,90,060 girls were enrolled in school through mass enrollment drives carried out in 5093 intervention villages and slums, 886 Gram Panchayats took the pledge to support and ensure completion of education for girls, felicitated girls who passed in 10th and 12th standard in 1768 villages, felicitated 1333 Schools which aimed for 100% enrollment and transition from 5th to 12th standards, and2,07,906 signatures were collected as part of the pan-India Signature Campaign,” Puja further added.

Key components of the campaign include social media engagement through a series of creative visuals and narratives emphasizing how interruptions impact girls' lives and the nation's growth, the 'Girl Interrupted' film to raise awareness about the importance of education for girls to fulfil their dreams, eye-catching posters and branding in metro trains across Mumbai and the southern region, community walks in South India and Pune to mobilize local support and spread awareness and so on.