Thanks to Viva supporters, we raised £30,000 for our Christmas Match Appeal to bring new hope and freedom to girls who face violence, harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse because of their gender. In India, the ‘Dare to be different’ mentoring programme run by our partner networks is turning around the lives of hundreds of girls. […]
Tag: India
All children want to play, learn & celebrate together
BY ANNA COX Thanaa is a ten-year-old girl who lives in a slum on the bank of river Ganges. Her father is a daily wage earner and mother a domestic maid. She had never been given the opportunity to join in at any celebrations until she came to a Christmas Party organised by Viva’s partner […]
Teaching in a Delhi slum
BY KERRY BOWLER When we first arrived at the slum, I was surprised to find the school right there in the middle of it, distinguishable not by gates or logos but the sound of children singing coming from a small, rudimentary looking building. Although there were small rooms opposite and to the right of the […]
Empowering Patna’s girls
BY ANDREW DUBOCK It leaves a lump in my throat and a knot in my stomach. Poverty at its most raw: unstable shelters deep in stagnant water, malnourished babies, hundreds of people accessing one well of unclean water, children with leprosy. It’s particularly hard to hear about the situation for girls, who are most […]
Girls make a journey of self-discovery
BY ANDREW DUBOCK “I wish I was a boy.” Akansha’s words stuck in my head, as I grappled with the question: ‘how could any girl think like this?’ Yet Akansha’s thoughts are not isolated – according to a survey by the government’s Ministry of Women and Child Development, almost half of girls in India have […]
More than a dowry: India’s girls’ real value
In India, almost two-thirds more girls than boys die before their fourth birthday.* Jane Travis explains why such a low value is placed on girls’ lives there, how Viva is changing attitudes towards gender inequality and building confidence in India’s precious daughters. “It’s a girl!” Three simple words pronounced at birth that should evoke tears […]
Breaking new ground in Indian girls’ lives
‘Abortion’ was today’s topic. As the 30 teenage girls passed around model foetuses, and listened to the teaching, I soon discovered that most had never heard about babies’ development before – and some of the group were on the verge of adulthood.
Revisiting the Christmas Match Appeal 2015: Make home a safer place for children
Thank you so much to all who gave to our Match Appeal last Christmas! Ten months on, we wanted to share one way in which Viva has been tackling the issue of domestic violence and abuse in Central America.
Delhi reflections: Balloon Girl
I spotted the colours first. A red, a green, a yellow: illuminating the darkness of early evening. Balloons! Being held by a girl no older than my own daughters… Sitting in the back of a cab, heading back to my hotel after an exhilarating few hours in Old Delhi, I spotted this Balloon Girl whilst […]
Global Goals Week: Gender Equality
Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals focuses on Gender Equality. Gender norms and practices continue to hinder opportunities for women and girls worldwide. The targets under this goal go far deeper than the Millennium Development Goal (MGD) equivalent. In 2000, Goal 3 of the MDGs was to ‘Promote gender equality and empower women’. This […]