A project to help girls in India remain in school focuses on football
Girls in India are often the first to be pulled out of school if families face hardship, with many struggling to finish their basic education. This film aims to highlight the barriers young girls face accessing education in these sorts of lower income communities.
Teenage friends Saloni and Aarti bravely share their stories of discrimination and their battle for equality. Saloni’s mother talks movingly about her own lack of education, and the generational impact of missing out on school. The girls meet through community football sessions, organised by the Oscar Foundation, in a dusty slum suburb of Mumbai. While they play sport, the charity teaches the them leadership training and provides access to IT centres, so they feel supported them to stay at school even when times are tough.
This film formed part of a series for the Evening Standard in 2023 called Let Girls Learn. It aimed to spotlight innovative and inspirational programmes challenging different aspects of gender inequality in education around the world.
This film has been entered in the MPB Geographical Better World Video Awards. See all the entries and the winners.
