Girls Beyond Gender Roles

“Behind every great woman ... is another great woman.”
~ Kate Hodges

This is not just a motivating quote but a moving reality-for girls like Suman Kalawat (name changed), who had her life transformed after she became part of the Adolescent Girls’ Group under CRY.

Inhabiting a quiet locale in Guna district of Madhya Pradesh, Suman belonged to the Bediya community. Historically, it has been a community, where women contributed to the household economy through sex work. The flip side of which was that often older women themselves became agents to this phenomenon to remain relevant in that system even when their resourcefulness with youthful years passed by. Hailing from such a background and seeing woman play these parts, Suman could never have imagined that joining a girl’s group would change the trajectory of her life the way it did!

But with courage in her heart and will power to learn, here is how she began rewriting her destiny after getting connected with the Girls’ Group.

While for many the story ends with dropping out, Suman’s story began when she dropped out of school in 8th standard. Being a milestone that forms one of the most important foundations for a child’s cognitive development, Suman felt things were over. Just because for the people around her, she was no longer seen as a child but as a girl waiting to be assigned the necessary gender role. She had to stay away from the formal education system for nearly two years.

As the days passed by, she slowly started absorbing the social norms that controlled the lives of girls around her, while unlearning everything she once studied at school.

She recounts,
“When I left school, I felt my future had stopped. I used to think that studies and dreams were not meant for girls like me.”

And in many ways, that feeling was real. Because for girls, institutions like schools often act as an opportunity equaliser. But little did she know that CRY had her back!

Tired and disappointed, Suman found solace among girls of her own age-and that group happened to be the Kishor-Kishori Group, an Adolescent Girls’ Group formed under the CRY-MP HCL Foundation’s Sports for Change (SFC) project.

The group had been envisioned as a safe and comforting space where girls could rediscover their interest in sports, reconnect with studies, and build the confidence to navigate through the society around them.

The girls in the group became more than peers to Suman- they became a source of motivation. Through them, Suman learnt that girls have the right to study, to play, and to decide what their futures should look like.

It took her days to relearn her rights, remove the dust that lay on her dreams and finally find the Suman within! Gradually, with support from CRY’s local partner, she was enrolled in the Child Activity Centre (CAC). There, she learned basic Hindi and English-speaking skills- something that helped her regain the confidence to express herself.

She recalls,
“Earlier I was scared to read or speak because I had forgotten everything. At the CAC, Didi and Bhaiya encouraged me and taught me patiently.”

All that she had forgotten after leaving school slowly began returning- this time through a support system that also helped her overcome her personal challenges by counselling. 

Alongside studies, she also discovered a new side of herself through CRY’s Sports for Change initiative. She began playing Kabaddi- a sport that soon became her source of strength whenever her confidence wavered.

Through the game, she did not just learn how to play; she learned teamwork, resilience, and how to navigate the world around her.

While Suman discovered the athlete within herself, CRY discovered a child waiting for the right space to bloom.

And that child soon represented her team at the HCL Foundation Zonal Level Tournament in Nagpur, Maharashtra.

Remembering that moment, she says,
“I felt proud adorning myself with that team jersey.”

For the world, it may have been just another game. But for Suman, it was a moment that gave her a new identity- one she carved for herself despite the psychological and social barriers life had placed in her path.

Eventually, these efforts led to a major milestone. In 2023, with CRY’s support, Suman was re-enrolled in formal schooling in Standard 9th at Amalya. She passed her exams with flying colors and moved forward to her next milestone, the Board Standard, 10th.

What came across as the most inspiring part of Suman’s journey was that the change did not stop with her.

It went on to change the mindset of her parents and many others, as she gathered the courage to speak to her parents about continuing her studies and playing sports, something she had never done before.

To her surprise, they listened!

Today, as Suman continues transforming from a dropout into a dreamer, CRY continues to envision a future where many more girls like her rediscover their dreams, find their voices to express those dreams, and gain the strength to turn those dreams into reality.