Aali Gaon and Jaitpur held their ceremonies in June. Geraldine Matchaba and Karuna Bhatia from Standard Chartered in Mumbai were guests of honor. Thr girls showcased dances and Hindi songs, and were addressed by Naz Executive Director Anjali Gopalan who reminded them to take their achievements and think about their own economic independence (always good to think big!).
Two graduates, Nidhi and Lakshmi shared their own stories - and with their certificates (and new shoes) in hand, the girls played a netball match.
Our Deepalaya girls graduated in August, with Sonali and Naureen acting as masters of ceremony. Dances, songs, and netball were also the events of the day, and the girls were honoured to be addressed by Rotarian T.K. Mathew, the founder member of the Deepalaya Board. He spoke about the importance of education for the girl child and taking up issues that target young girls and women. He highlighted how through Goal girls were provided opportunities to develop their personality and excel. He encouraged the students to get involved in Goal and aspire to do better in their lives.
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We would be very remiss here if we didn't take the time to make a very special thank you to Sharon Sethi as well, our outgoing Delhi volunteer coordinator. Sharon has been the heart and soul of Goal in Delhi since day 1, and we can't thank her enough for all she's done.
(Here's Sharon and I in Delhi in January)
