Heera Sharma has embarked on a very big mission, and almost 300 girls (so far) are proof that she is deep at work to achieve it. Born in India, home to the world’s largest population of adolescent girls, and currently living in the United States, Heera has set out to disrupt social attitudes toward girls and young women – starting in India but not ending there -- by helping build a world “where each girl is empowered to unlock her highest potential, realize her dreams and be an agent of change.” With these words, Heera describes her vision for Go Laadli (a name that translates to ‘beloved daughter’ in Hindi), an organization she founded in the US in 2017. Heera’s focus on data stands out for me, because it demonstrates an understanding that we learn by observing what works and by using the data to see the big picture and look for ways to help us improve our results. And it was especially moving to see and hear the testimonials from the girls who have participated in Go Laadli – in fact, these really drove home for me the beauty of the name she has chosen for her overall program, Beloved Daughter. -- Paul Wright, BKF Board Chair Reflecting on Heera's 7/14/20 presentation Click on the image above to see Heera share how her BKF fellowship cohort impacted Go Laadli and the impact Go Laadli has made in the world. Heera explains how the pandemic changed Go Laadli's 2020 focus. "We could have probably still continued our flagship initiative but we also realized that we could be losing out on a huge chunk of participation from young girls who came from poorer backgrounds who depended hugely on schools and their teachers to participate in our programs." "This was a call to action for our young women to put their actions and voices to make a difference in the communities during this pandemic. To show their leadership. To do what they can with what they had where they were." The Go Laadli Corona Warrior! campaign videos were viewed by thousands on social media. Check out the Go Laadli Instagram Paul's reflection continues: While her data points are certainly useful, the testimonials present the human impact in a wonderfully personal and authentic way. And finally, I was also impressed that she is giving thought, not only to the question of scaling up Go Laadli, but also to the issue of how to make her initiative sustainable, both important clues to how thoughtfully she is approaching this work. What an amazingly insightful woman! To read Paul's full reflection on Go Laadli's change-making results click here STAY TUNED!
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