Fatima and Soni – going against the grain
Fatima and Soni grew up receiving Mary’s Meals at their school in India. Now, Fatima has graduated from university, while Soni is joining the Indian police.
Published onFatima is 20 and her sister Soni is 18. They live in Dasna, a slum area near Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, India. Many people in the area have deeply conservative views – girls are rarely educated and often not seen outside the house after they reach puberty.
In 2010, BREAD, Mary’s Meals’ school feeding delivery partner in India, opened an informal school in the area. At that time, Fatima and Soni’s family struggled to provide enough food for them, and they didn’t attend the school.
That all changed when their parents learned about the meal served to learners every school day by Mary’s Meals.
Education is a gamechanger in India
“The food was very important,” Fatima recalls. “At first, we only attended because of the food – it was more important than the classes. [The school meals] meant less pressure on my parents. At school, we used to play games and recite poetry. By 12 pm we were so excited because we knew food was coming!”
Years after leaving the school, Fatima still remembers what they ate there and can recite the weekly menu. The sisters began to realise that it wasn’t just the food they were eating at school that could change things for them.
“Over time, we understood the difference that education could make,” Fatima continues. “There was no source of income except for my father’s earnings as a casual labourer. Money was tight. To know that food was taken care of was very important. It slowly dawned on me that education could change my life.”
Arranged marriage and conflicting aspirations
Fatima and Soni’s parents didn’t have the opportunity for an education when they were younger and have faced pressure to get their children married. In their community, education – especially for girls – is not a priority.
People around them said that Fatima and Soni should not be going to university or college – and should not be seen outside of their homes. Most of the girls that Fatima went to school with are now married. Many of them already have their own children.
Praveen, their mother, was married at 15 in an arranged marriage. She says: “I didn’t really understand that I was married. I was still going out to play in the street with my friends.”
As one of seven children, she was unable to go to school, as her family didn’t have enough money for any of their children to attend. This she says made her “determined that I would not stop my children from getting an education.”
Encouraging girls to attend school
After primary school, Fatima and Soni both progressed through BREAD’s other programmes geared towards supporting them through their education.
Fatima now has a university degree in English and History – the first person in her family and the first woman in her community to graduate. She plans to study an IT course and become a teacher. Her sister Soni, who is currently attending college, is just about to join the India police force.
Praveen brings it all back to Mary’s Meals as the main driver to send both Fatima and Soni to school: “We wouldn’t have sent them then if there was no food. Without Mary’s Meals, these girls would not be who they are now. Society will recognise what we have done. Those who do not educate their daughters will look at my girls and they will change their mind.”
It costs just £19.15, €22, $25.20 USD or $31.70 CAD to provide a child with school meals for an entire school year. Learn more about our work in India and how the promise of a daily meal in their place of education enables the children we serve to receive an education.