Empower Young Women to be Leaders, India

Earlier this summer the Madurai Leadership Academy held their 2023-24 certificate ceremony, which  was filled with joy and excitement. 27 students were awarded certificates for completing courses on Gender, Culture and Society, Leadership, Rights, Basic Computer and Basic and Advanced Tally (accounting software). Their pride and sense of accomplishment is seen in their smiles!

The inaugural SPARK program (student-led learning) commenced at the Madurai Leadership Academy. Yazhini, led the first session, teaching the fundamental movements of Silambam (a Tamil Nadu martial art with a stick).Ranjitham, led a SPARK session on pencil drawing, which students found to be a creative break from exams.For students interested in tech and programming, Sona facilitated sessions on "NetBeans" an integrated development platform for Java programming.

Amirtha, a Madurai Leadership Academy graduate who earned a Bachelor's Degree in Technology, is currently employed as a medical coder. She returned for a visit this May, where she generously contributed her competitive exam books to current students. While there, she nominated Ms. Sumithra as a deserving student for a scholarship. Sumithra, who achieved an impressive score of 536 out of 600 in her 12th standard examinations, aspires to pursue a career as an accountant.

At the Madurai Academy's satellite program in Ramanathapuram, students explored the significance of preserving one's mother tongue and the importance of being multilingual and the The Ramanathapuram satellite SPARK program also began with a student-led workshop focused on "Health and Hygiene," to discuss the intricacies of thyroid health.

The Hyderabad Academy held a special session on Menstrual Hygiene Day, hearing from a gynecologist and two nurses to better understand period myths and discrimination. The students also learned how to design and stitch a menstrual pad - a collaboration with EcoFemme. To celebrate World Bee Day and World Tree Day, Hyderabad Academy students met with a beekeeper and the founder of the Root Feast, who introduced them to an innovative water saving irrigation method. Through various activities, students learned how to protect honeybees and increase tree cover worldwide.