Sima

At first glance, Sima may look like any 20-year-old hardworking nursing student. But the journey she took to get there separates her from most. Sima grew up in a small, rural village where poverty was commonplace. Her father was an agricultural labourer, her mother a housewife, and the family struggled to make ends meet. For a girl like Sima, early marriage was common. Education – let alone higher education – was a rarity, accessible only to boys, if at all. But Sima was one of the lucky ones. Our partner, Nishtha, works in marginalised communities like hers to keep girls in school, build their self-confidence and challenge traditions that hold them back. “Nishtha was working in my community to promote girls’ education,” Sima explained. “My family could not support me with education, so that’s how I came into contact with them.” She was able to join Nishtha when she was 10. With the organisation’s help, Sima joined a Kishori Vahini group, or “girls’ squad” – a supportive network of girls like her also pursuing education. As well as being provided with educational materials like books, stationery and health kits, they were supported to challenge and overcome gender discrimination in their community. They soon began to walk to school together every day and, as they grew in confidence, were able to actively intervene in child marriages within their community. 

“Slowly, as the group developed, it gave us the courage to speak up. If someone was young and getting married, we discussed it and took action. We gathered together and invited the girl who was supposed to be married, and we went to the parents and spoke to them about the consequences we had learnt.” Alongside local interventions, the group still supported Sima with her own struggles and doubts as she pursued an education. When her midterm exam result was not good, she was devastated. But her friends from Nishtha came together to persuade her not to give up. “There were a lot of girls like me. When I felt sad or doubtful of myself when I was in school with my studies, they would support me.” Nishtha’s founder, Mina Das, was both a friend and inspiration for Sima. “Whenever I went to Nishtha, I saw Mina, and she talked to me and inspired me. She is in service of others.” The care of her friends and Mina’s example made Sima decide she too wanted to devote her life to helping others. “The support they gave me is the reason why I came here to study. I dreamt that I wanted to become a nurse, and because of Nishtha I have become just that.” Today, Sima’s example inspires everyone around her, just as she was once inspired by Mina. Whenever she has free time, she visits the women’s and girls’ groups in her village. 

When I see the younger ones, I say to them: ‘join Nishtha!’ Nishtha will encourage you to reach up to do something with your life and make it your own. — Sima

“When I see the younger ones, I say to them: ‘join Nishtha!’ Nishtha will encourage you to reach up to do something with your life and make it your own.” Even after everything, Sima says she will never forget where she came from or how important Nishtha’s support was for her and others like her. “You are seeing me, but I am only one girl. There are many more girls out there who are completely deprived of education, healthcare and more. When we are born, there is no one to support us, as a girl. We get married, abused or even killed. All these things could have happened if Nishtha wasn’t there. I would have been lost. I wouldn’t have studied. I wouldn’t be a nurse. But Nishtha is here. They have seen everything that is happening for us girls and are doing everything they can to prevent it.”