“Build a school instead”: How 21 year-old Zainab used her prize money to bring education to girls in her remote village in India
Long, dangerous walks to school force young girls in Zainab’s Indian village to abandon their education and enter into factory work or early marriage. She decided to change that.
Being the first girl in her village to graduate from secondary school and college wasn’t enough for Zainab — she wanted to be the first of many.
So when the chief minister of her province presented her with an award for her academic accomplishments, she turned it down. “Build a school near my village instead,” she told him. Thanks to Zainab, the school is currently under construction.
Zainab is now completing her master’s degree — but her path to education was not an easy one. In Chandora, her remote village in northern India, girls are often forced to drop out of school after class 8. The secondary school is five kilometres away on a dangerous path through the jungle.
Initially, her parents were scared to send their daughter knowing the route’s reputation for crime. Zainab was determined to complete her education and managed to convince her father to accompany her to and from school every day. However, her reputation in the village and safety were still at stake.
Many people in her small village do not understand the value of girls’ education. Typically, if girls are not married, they take menial jobs in factories stitching footballs. Children work as young as 7.
Zainab herself was once a child labourer. “I used to stitch footballs like my friends and serve as a helping hand for my family,” Zainab said. “We got five rupees for stitching one football. One girl can usually stitch four footballs in a day, earning 20 rupees.” But she knew she could achieve more for herself and her family and was determined to finish school.
Now, Zainab’s persistence and bravery is inspiring other girls in her community to also pursue their education. “Twelve girls have completed their class 12 so far, while 16 are in class 10. And all the credit goes to her,” her former teacher, Waeed Khan, told Times of India. Zainab is leading by example in her own family — her older sister Nargis, who stopped attending school after class 5, is committed to seeing her daughters follow in their aunt’s footsteps and complete their education.
“Girls can do anything,” says Zainab. “People think that only boys can do everything, girls cannot. But girls can achieve more than the boys. They manage homes and jobs. If a girl is educated, then our nation will progress. They will earn more money, support our economy and there will be more jobs.”
Through the new secondary school, Zainab is giving many more girls the opportunity to forge a brighter future for themselves, as well as their families. She is proof that, sometimes, it takes a child to raise a village.
In April, Malala kicks off her global #GirlPowerTrip to meet with girls like Zainab and fight for their futures.
