IPE Global, in partnership with India Development Foundation and Mastek have set up a technical assistance team with support from DFID, UK to assist the SC & ST Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department, Government of Odisha in successfully implementing a conditional secondary school incentive programme for disadvantaged girls in Odisha.
The programme is targeted at SC and ST girls, with the purpose of getting more disadvantaged girls taking admission and finishing junior secondary school (grades 9-10). The programme is called Odisha Secondary School Girls Incentive Programme (OGIP) and will continue to run in all 30 districts of Odisha till year 2016.
With great pride, we reveal to you an example of their recent successes in the form of a 14 year old girl Sebati Behera, belonging to Scheduled Caste from Kandhamal District, Odisha. Her mother’s death, father’s re-marriage greatly disturbed Sebati to the extent that she stopped attending her school regularly. Her grandfather took responsibility of Sebati but was unable to provide her the care and support which she desperately needed.
Block Coordinator (BC), OGIP took note of Sebati during the two phase counselling process and prioritized providing a solution to her depression and education. The Block Coordinator, along with the School Headmaster, Mr. Binod Bihari Digal, counselled the child and shared the OGIP schemes, its benefits and positive impacts with her and her grandfather.
The Block Coordinator conducted follow up visits to Sebati’s house and even discussed the same with her village community. He constantly encouraged her to not give up on her education and dreams. The Head Master also assured her family of assisting her with her educational needs as well.
The result of the regular counselling session was a happy Sebati, who took re-admission in the Balaskumpa High School and started attending it regularly once again. She even opened her first bank account under the OGIP programme.
The village community was greatly motivated by OGIP efforts and started pushing the other children to attend school regularly too. The major outcome of this whole exercise resulted in the increase in ratio of girls education and increased encouragement to the parents and the village community to send their children to complete their educational dreams.
IPE Global team congratulates OGIP team on their achievements and wishes them continued success in their programme.
India 
UK 
Africa 
