🌸 Hope Through Education: How Jan Mitra Nyas Empowers Marginalized Girls in Varanasi 🌸

 

🌸 Hope Through Education: How Jan Mitra Nyas Empowers Marginalized Girls in Varanasi 🌸

"Digital empowerment is not a luxury; it’s a necessity in the journey towards dignity, justice, and equality." — Shruti Nagvanshi, Managing Trustee, Jan Mitra Nyas on 28 June 2025

✨ Introduction

In a powerful event that combined activism, compassion, and grassroots transformation, Jan Mitra Nyas, a Varanasi-based folk school and rights-based initiative, handed over laptops to two promising young women — Charu Raghuvanshi and Supriya Mishra. This act wasn’t just about technology — it was about bridging the digital divide, empowering girl students, and giving hope a new address.

This initiative is directly aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially:

• SDG 4: Quality Education

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

💻 Stories of Struggle and Strength

🌺 Charu Raghuvanshi: A Daughter of Resilience

Charu, a BBA student, lost her father in 2018. Since then, her mother — Chanchal Singh, a courageous survivor of domestic violence — has been raising Charu and her younger brother amidst legal battles, threats to life, and financial insecurity.

Despite the odds, Charu's determination never wavered. She wrote an earnest letter to Jan Mitra Nyas, requesting a laptop to support her education. Her plea wasn't just for a device — it was a symbol of reclaiming her right to learn, grow, and lead.

🌸 Supriya Mishra: Dreaming Beyond Crisis

Supriya, a second-year Bachelor of Computer Science student at the Women’s College, BHU, is another example of silent strength. Her father, Pramod Mishra, lost his livelihood during the COVID-19 pandemic. Financial instability threatened Supriya’s dreams — until this laptop support came as a ray of dignity and digital access.

🎥 Voices of Gratitude and Vision

A heartwarming video captured by PVCHR intern Ankit Singh shows Charu and Supriya with their families, expressing gratitude to:

• Jan Mitra Nyas

• Shruti Nagvanshi

• Rakesh Ranjan Tripathi, Kashi-based intellectual

• Lenin Raghuvanshi

• Jai Kuamr Mishra 

• Parul Sharma

• And 200 Swedish donors, whose solidarity turned into life-changing support

Shruti Nagvanshi emphasized the importance of girls' empowerment through education and digital literacy, and the need to “pay it forward” by contributing back to society.

🌍 Why This Matters for the SDGs

1. SDG 4 – Quality Education: Laptops help girls attend classes, do research, and acquire essential digital skills.

2. SDG 5 – Gender Equality: Supporting girls like Charu and Supriya challenges patriarchal norms and promotes gender justice.

3. SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities: This initiative directly benefits economically and socially disadvantaged families.

💬 Final Reflections

The smiles on the faces of Charu and Supriya are a testament to what hope, when supported with action, can achieve. These are not isolated acts of charity — they are threads in a larger movement of transformative justice and community empowerment.

As Shruti Nagvanshi says,“Empowering one girl child empowers an entire generation.”