About the Project
The project provided bicycles to young girls who need transportation to travel long distances to school.
Location
Choppadandi Village, Karimnagar District, Telangana State, India
Quick Project Stats
| Funding Date | March 2025 |
| Luena Investment | $4,000 |
| CBO Partner | Women Development Welfare Society (WDWS) |
| Village | Choppadandi village |
| Country | India |
| # of Children Impacted | 46 |
| Community Contribution | volunteer support, including local resource persons for awareness sessions; community donations to support travel, parents’ counseling, girls’ home visits, awareness campaigns and other supportive costs while implementing the project |
Barriers to Education for Girls in Rural Communities
Due to the extreme poverty in our community and the lack of education in most families, girl children are almost always forgotten and are forced into early marriages and difficult lives. Even when girls are enrolled in school, many of them have to walk up to 6 kilometers each way (to and from school), and many do not end classes until well after dark. In these conditions, many girls have encountered violence and have been abducted on their way home from school, and hence, many girls stop attending school at a very young age. Having access to transportation to and from school will support equal access to education for all girls in our community (and this will greatly help to reduce the incidences of sexual violence that occur when the girls are forced to walk long distances to and from school).
Bicycles Facilitate Safe Access to Education
The donation from Luena Foundation was used to purchase 46 bicycles and to host an awareness campaign to encourage girl child education. Students and parents attended the event under the guidance of school teachers and external resource persons, and afterwards, the bicycles were distributed to 46 vulnerable girls.
All the girls are very happy with the bicycles. Those who had been walking to school now have more time to focus on study and sports, and families that had been paying bus fees or fuel costs to drive to school can save some funds for food expenses and educational materials for their children. With the bicycles, it has been observed that the girls are reaching school on time, safely, and without stress. They are better able to focus on their classes and to engage in additional learning opportunities.
Case Studies:
Maniraksha (pictured below, middle left) used to walk almost 40 minutes to reach school. Her brother always came with her as security since she would not reach home again until 5:30 or 6:00 in the evening. Now Maniraksha and her brother both come to school on the same bicycle. Their parents are happy that the bicycle is effecting both children positively.
Another family of three orphaned girls (pictured below – top right, middle center, middle right) live with their grandparents who are over 65 years old. Their old age pension and their daily wage income is the only source for their livelihood. They are worried for the future of these girls and need support for them with clothing, educational materials, and personal expenses. Providing bicycles to these girls has helped them to continue their studies, which is a step towards securing their future.
Alekhya’s (pictured below, bottom left) father died of a stroke when she was three years old. She lives with her mother, who works as a day laborer in seasonal agriculture. Alekhya’s mother is determined that she will complete her education, but this is very difficult due to their limited and inconsistent income. Sometimes Alekhya’s teachers help support her daily needs. Receiving a bicycle has given a big boost to Alekhya’s pursuit of education and has save her mother 800 rupees per month in transportation expenses.
K Laxmi (pictured below, bottom center) comes from a poor family, and her father works as a day laborer. Laxmi is a clever student, and she had been coming to school by auto, paying 700 rupees per month. Her father said, “I will start small savings every month on the name of Laxmi, for her future studies or marriage. I never stop these savings. This bicycle made us more responsible parents. Thanks to the donor.” As soon as Laxmi got the bicycle, she called her mother to show her and went for a ride with her little brother in the school ground.
Manthasanoor (pictured below, bottom right) and her younger sister travel 4.5 kilometers to school each day. Her father does alterations in a small tailoring shop. In her family, child marriages for girls are quite common. Both her parents attended our awareness session and after that came to us and said, “We will never stop our daughters’ studies, we will support them until they want to stop.” Manthasanoor and her sister can come to school together using this donated bicycle.
Meet our Partner Community-Based Organization
Established in April 2009, the W.D.W.S. supports & implement projects which serve to improve living conditions in, and economic prospects of, communities located in Telangana & Andhra Pradesh states in India. All projects are implemented & supported by W.D.W.S.’ board members & volunteers who team up with expert partners and look to the W.D.W.S. to make a positive impact on the women & families. All projects are conducted in good partnership with local or global donors with a proven ability to implement the projects on the ground.
To learn more about our partner organization, click here.
