Marvi is the reason why many women in her village want to be educated

My school has made a very important impact in my life. Even though there were girls in my school who dropped out, but I was the only one left who continued. I thought maybe one day my parents will take me out of the school as well because I was the only girl who studied with the boys in my village.
But I made it through college.

Now I am working in a Women's Empowerment Programme that is also a PEP project, and I have witnessed so many women and girls having the opportunity to receive education and empowering girls everywhere in their village.

My journey in the Women's Empowerment Programme began with a lot of challenges that came my way. One that was very significant was women in rural villages that resisted learning. It seemed as my every effort to draw them towards learning things in the Women's Empowerment Programme did not work. That lowered my confidence for some time, and I confess that I was discouraged.

But in one of the Women's Empowerment Training I had the opportunity to listen to women who were working before me among the rural women, and they shared pocket full of their experience. One of the ladies said, "It doesn't matter how many women are willing to join the group. What matters the most is that even if one woman's or a girl's life changes as a result of the Women's Empowerment Programme, that will be your great achievement."

From then on, my focus was to teach women and girls who really had the desire to learn and wanted to seek knowledge. I gained some new members who wanted to work with me, and my confidence paved the way.

I formed a Women's Empowerment Group in my village and started teaching. I taught, and still teach about CLTS (Health & Sanitation), DRR (Disaster Risk Reduction), Importance of savings, and the importance of girl's education.

I have noticed a significant change in my group through the Women's Empowerment Programme; each member in my group has a changed perspective about education and the benefit it offers. In my group there are women who started from a very conservative mind and have become so open to the idea of girls' education that they have started sending their children and especially daughters to school, and are encouraging other women to do the same.

This is impacting the girl's enrolment in PEP schools and enabling them to continue their education. Moreover, this is impacting the issue of early marriage of girls in rural areas. Women now have an understanding that education can help girls have a better health and marriage - but all at the appropriate age - equipped with education.

Along with this great contribution that I am able to make with the help of Women's Empowerment Programme, I am encouraged to continue my education, and I am hoping to join a university. My desire is to take a degree of masters in Physics, and I hope to become a lecturer one day.

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