In Bandipura, a remote dusty village in Alwar, Rajasthan, lives a young girl called Bhuteri. She lives in a community where the girl child is often considered a liability to be dispensed with, hurriedly married off at a very young age.Belonging to a conservative and rather poor family, Bhuteri has 5 sisters and an elder brother. Her parents, father Kanhaiya Lal and mother Gulab, are illiterate and the father works as a mason. Bhuteri has a winning smile but it is her eyes that reveal a fierce determination – she has the distinction of being IIMPACT’s oldest student. It was Bhuteri who at a very young age took the initiative to enroll with IIMPACT where she was provided the opportunity to study. She was always a very earnest and bright student who tried never to miss a day of school, happily devoting 5 hours a day to her studies. She completed her class V at the IIMPACT’s learning centre in Bandipura where she developed a solid foundation and appetite for learning, and a drive to excel. She is currently class 11 in a local secondary girls' school and has ambitions of moving to a city college once she graduates. All credit must be given to Bhuteri for instilling in her parents and in her siblings the importance of education. Bhuteri has gradually taught both her illiterate parents to proudly write their names, recognize alphabets and identify numbers - something they had earlier never dreamt of. Bhuteri’s 2 elder sisters were never sent to school and were married off an early age in their teens. If had not been for the IIMPACT Learning Centre that opened in her village, that may have been Bhuteri’s story too. Instead, the same parents who did not believe in sending their daughters even to primary school, are now supporting her secondary schooling and are open to thinking about college. Bhuteri’s experiences have influenced the lives of her 2 younger sisters, who have followed her in to the IIMPACT program. She is also a role model for her brother’s daughters, who too have started their schooling, as well as for other girls in her community.Kanhaiya Lal and Gulab Devi are not the only ones filled with pride at Bhuteri’s achievements - the entire village community holds her up as a shining example to all their girls. Education is now viewed as an integral part of their lives. Everyone is confident that Bhuteri will do well in life as she charts her own path. IIMPACT will always remain a big part of her life.So not only did IIMPACT affect Bhuteri’s life, but it has changed her family’s and community’s thinking about issues such as girl child education and early marriage. Bhuteri has grown in to a smart confident young woman who is excited by learning and has dreams of going much further in life.
