The stories of these magnificent women are shared to the world to give them the deserved appreciation but also to inspire others, struggling in their own lives, to not lose hope and help the society in every manner possible.
BinduBa Zala: The first recipient of this gratitude in the campaign in INDIA.
#RecogniseThePowerWithin is Mrs. BinduBa Zala, a 51 years old school teacher from a small village, who has devoted her entire life educating the children of the villagers, their welfare and holistic development of the village. She comes from a family of Darbars, which is a highly conservative tribe in the Southern parts of Gujarat. Being a girl, she faced intense discrimination on all grounds.
She stood against child marriage and animal sacrifice. She refuted social stereotype for women, and stood for her rights. She and her husband Parthesh Pandya, who used to be a social worker, left an established life, decided not to have children of their own, only to give a better future to the children of their village. She set up a new model of the village school which provided quality learning. Accurate education gave a bright future to the children who otherwise were destined to become farmers, bounded laborers, cattle headers, or drivers.
Madhu Kashyap: Speaking of the second part of the campaign, the empowerment of womanhood has been explicitly applauded by recognizing the power and struggle of Mrs. Madhu Kashyap. Madhu is an acid attack survivor, she has faced a lot of discrimination and pain in her life, physically, emotionally, psychologically and socially. She was discarded from her own family, left alone by the society without a job to fend for herself, her husband was outcasted from his family due to his decision to stick by her, her children forced out of schools and so much more.
She has also been under great financial stresses, but today she is a part of an NGO called the Chhanv Foundation, which has been one of the oldest NGOs in India to help with the societal acceptance and rehabilitation of acid attack survivors. Through this NGO, a lot of survivors and their families are cared for, their needs are catered to and their identity is protected from social exclusion and marginalization. She is part of the Sheroes cafe, which is an initiative by Chhanv, where the survivors are provided with employment and are given a platform to stand for their rights.