Fellow: B.P Suryawanshi and Dillip Alla Rathod

Grant Year: 2019

Location: Nanded and Latur District, Maharashtra, India

Organization: Kalapandhari Magasvargiya and Adivasi Gramin Vikas Sanstha

Project title: Facilitating Transportation of Students Thereby Impacting School Dropout and Child Marriage for Girl Students

Project summary: The project aims to reduce school dropout among girls and boys in the drought-prone Latur district by 50%. To attend school, students must travel from their villages to the government aided schools in towns, yet there are no transportation options for them. Lack of transportation, along with restricted mobility because of safety issues, are some of the main reasons that students in the region end up dropping out of school.  Rise Up Leaders will mobilize grassroots leaders and advocate for the provision of transport facilities for students to get to and from school under the Right to Education Act (2009). They will engage 3,000 district women federation leaders to lead the advocacy campaign with a goal of gaining 50% representation in the transportation and school management committees. They will advocate with the Human Development Mission of Government of India to implement the existing the Right to Education Act (2009) by creating transportation committees, school management committees, women and girls’ groups and Panchayati Raj Institutions (a three-tier Local Self Governance System). They will advocate with the Zila Parishad CEO to issue an order for transportation facilities for 1,000 students in the district, resulting in at least 50 buses to provide girls transportation to and from school thereby decreasing school dropout rates. With more girls attending school, they will be less likely to enter into child marriages and instead will be able to access more opportunities and achieve their full potential.