Cycling to success: A road to empowerment for underprivileged girls in India
Noida. 13th June. 2022: The theme of this year against child labour calls for increased investment in social protection systems and schemes to establish solid social protection floors and protect children from child labour. Not only government, but companies and the individual must do their bit to eradicate it from our system. Shiva Cycles for this event worked together with an NGO, EMCT (EthoMart Charitable Trust)
To inform girls of this, and motivate them to take the education route. Shiva Cycles in association with the WOW group had an event, where they discussed the challenges that a girl faces while studying. The most common challenge they found is not having a transportation mode, especially in the far-flung areas. Well, the government has been focusing on providing bicycles to female students so their education can be completed. Shiva Cycle aims to support such students through their CSR activities.
Prominent riders such as Vijeta Pandey, Pallavi Sarkar, Pallavi, Jagriti, Preeti, Sannu, Mehak, Shashi Bala and many others participated in the event.
The brand also partnered with girls to identify and educate solutions for their sanitation and hygiene needs, for example, prioritising individual toilets over community toilets, Investing in school-based access and adopting improved sanitation and hygiene, promoting sensitivity – not secrecy – towards adolescent girls’ sanitation and hygiene needs
Priyanka Guin, Founder, of Shiva Cycle, said, “India has a long way to go to ensure that every girl has the opportunity to complete secondary school so that they are not forced into child labour. Fortunately, simple interventions, like the humble bicycle, can promote accessibility to distant schools, and provide life skills education that can increase school retention rates, improve learning outcomes, and reduce early marriages”.
Ms Vijeta Pandey, Founder, WOW group said, “We are very happy to see that we have done this association with Shiva Cycles as our goals align with each other. Bicycles have proven to be wheels of change and evidence suggests they can successfully boost rural girls’ enrolment in secondary school”.
WOW is the biggest female cyclist group since 2020 having female riders from 6 years to 60 years old.
