9 girls from Maharashtra who fought all odds, emerged winners

Despite battling poverty and studying under challenging circumstances, nine girls from the most backward districts of the state have excelled in academics and social life.

To commemorate their courage and achievement, UNICEF will present them the Navjyoti Award on Friday.

This initiative was started to encourage girls to study and celebrate those who do so even in adverse environment.
Those who will be felicitated are Shirin Tabassum, 17, Malsa Kamble, 15, Jyotsana Magare, 17, Lata Batku, 14, Kanti Padavi, 19, Vidya Ambhore, 14, Manjusha Sartape, 17, Nisha Uke, 13, and Radha Shinde, 13.

Tabassum, who lives in Yavatmal, was born without hands and has only one foot. Every government school refused her admission because of her disability, but her parents’ relentless efforts saw her get admission into a private school. She learned to hold a pencil between her toes and cleared her SSC examination scoring 70%. She not only can write with her toes, but also stitch and draw henna designs on her friends’ hands. Tabassum drives an electronic scooter every day to college.

“She wanted to be a computer engineer, but her father’s accident cut her dreams short,” said her mother. “To afford his medical expenses, she took up arts stream.’’

But, Tabassum is determined to pursue her dream next year. “I will apply to a polytechnic college next year. I will not give up.”
Kamble from Latur district is also a story of courage.

She was abandoned her mother who was a victim of domestic abuse, and her father remarried. Kamble was raised by her grandmother since she was five months old.

When she was in class 7, her grandmother fell sick and Kamble was forced to drop out of school and work as a daily wage labourer. “I decided to finance my own education and joined a vocational training institute. I want to become a nurse,’’ she said.

Although Magare did not have any financial problems, she had to face her community’s wrath as she became a volunteer to educate adolescent girls about sex and hygiene, pregnant women about nutritious diet and counselled families to educate their girls.
This teenager from Chandrapur Sindewahi district is also a state-level hockey player Her father died when she was young and her mother is a farm hand.

“I want to become a teacher because education can bring a change in people’s lives,’’ she said.

Batku, the daughter of a postman from Gadchiroli, is studying to become a doctor. “My village has neither a doctor nor a clinic. My sister is deaf and dumb and I had to struggle for her treatment,’’ she said.

Uke, who hails from Gondia, aspires to be a police officer. “I enjoy doing social work through Meena Manch, a volunteer organisation and have enrolled three girls in schools. I want to drive social change in my village Wadagaon,” said the teenager.

The other girls have excelled in sports despite hardships.
Vidya, who is from Parbani district, has shone in kho kho and badminton at state and even national level, Sartape in archery and Shinde in kho kho, football and wrestling.

While Sartape is from Vashim, Shinde is from Jalna.