The Milaan Foundation (Milaan) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering girls by advancing their skills, rights, and opportunities. The organization is guided by a vision to ensure that every girl is educated, healthy, and safe. To date, the organization has impacted more than 70,000 girls across three states of India—Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka—using a life skills approach to foster leadership, agency, and informed decision-making. The organization also engages families and community members, working to reshape social and cultural attitudes toward gender equality and girls’ education.
Madhya Pradesh is the second largest state in India and is home to the country’s largest indigenous population. The majority reside in rural areas and are living below the poverty line, which, in India, is $2.15 per day. Outcomes for women and girls are stark—the state has the third highest neonatal mortality rate and the second highest number of assault cases against children. Girls often face significant barriers to education, and child marriage is a pressing concern. Against this backdrop, Milaan aims to improve girls’ opportunities for success and believes girls’ education is the key to promoting development and progress in Madhya Pradesh.
With support from the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund, Milaan will expand its Girl Icon program across 10 Districts of Madhya Pradesh. Girl Icon is a leadership development and life skills training program, which aims to develop girls’ voices, provide educational opportunities, and teach girls about the dangers of early marriage. The main component of the program involves girls designing and implementing projects based on their interests to challenge harmful social norms and practices. The girls will also be trained to mentor their peers, mobilize resources for their projects, and engage with local leaders to create a supportive environment for girls’ education.
Milaan aims to reach 10,000 girls through its project, creating a grassroots movement of Girl Icons in Madhya Pradesh. In previous iterations of this program, 95.3 percent of Milaan-trained girls remained in school and 98 percent of girls delayed marriage. Milaan also employs 213 Girl Icon program alumni in roles within the organization. Building on this success, Milaan will provide support to even more girls and equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to stay in school and strive for a brighter future. To learn more about Milaan, please visit the organization’s website and social media pages:
See more projects: Latin America & the Caribbean, Child Marriage, Education, Leadership & Life Skills Development