by Laura Baerwolf, Chief Operating Officer, Mona Foundation
Kali greeting Mona Foundation visitor at her home. Photo: Kelly Lacy, Make Beautiful, Mona Foundation
This is a true story that illustrates what happens when all members of a population, especially women, are enabled to participate as equals in the socio-economic activities of their community and contribute to its development. In Mona Foundation’s experience, education is central to such individual and social transformation but only if it includes lessons of gender equality, ethics, and service alongside academics and the arts.
We first met Kali in 2013 when she enrolled in the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women in Indore, India, a Mona partner since 2005. In the decade since, Kali’s life experience has provided a representative real-time narrative of the transformative power of educating women and girls. Her story shows how a young woman, empowered through education to improve her own life and see herself as an agent of social change, can impact her family, peers, and village – and, in time, change the hearts and minds of an entire community on the critical importance of education, gender equality, and capacity building in leading their own social transformation.
Kali was born in a tribal household in the remote village of Alirajpur in Madhya Pradesh, India. As a child, she contracted polio which left her disabled and in need of a staff to walk. Born a girl, poor, and disabled, she had three strikes against her before she was twelve.
In general, India’s daughters are unwanted, unsafe, unequal, and unfree. They make up one third of the world’s child brides and half of married women report domestic violence. Every year, one million girls are killed in the womb through selective termination. In rural areas, such as Alirajpur, girls traditionally don’t go to school and are considered only suitable for marriage, having children, cleaning house, and caring for their families.
Kali with walking staff, 2016. Photo: Mona Foundation
In 2013, Kali’s life changed dramatically when, as a young woman, she was given a $350 Mona scholarship to enroll in the six-month residential training program at the Barlii Institute in Indore, about a four-hour drive from her village. At first, she was so shy that she would not even say her name. But within Barli’s nurturing walls, Kali found her voice, learned to read and write, and gained the knowledge, skills, and confidence to thrive. She learned about organic farming and solar cooking, and about personal and community development, including the importance of gender equality. She also learned how to make patterns and sew clothing, and how to run her own business. She became certified as a tailor.
Upon graduating, Kali returned to her village and opened her own tailoring shop. She earned enough money to support herself and paid for the education of 8 children in her extended family. She also formed a micro-financing group with 12 other women in her village to help them start their own businesses too.
In 2016, a team from Mona Foundation, including Founder and CEO Mahnaz Javid, travelled to Alirajpur to visit Kali and other Barli graduates. As they walked the village streets, stopping at the women’s sewing shops along the way, a group of stern-looking men wearing turbans came towards them. Hesitating somewhat at the sight, Mahnaz stepped forward and greeted them. Among the group was Kali’s father. He reached out to shake Mahnaz’s hand and, breaking into a big smile, said:
“Thank you for supporting the education of my daughter. She is now a source of inspiration for all the girls in our village, and all the fathers and mothers want their daughters to be like Kali.”
Kali’s father, 2016. Photo: Mona Foundation
At this point, Kali’s business was growing and she had hired two other women to help in her shop. She had also saved enough money to buy a red scooter and fitted it so that she could get around more easily. Every father in that rural village now wanted his daughter to be like Kali, signaling a significant cultural shift towards recognizing the value of educating and empowering girls.
Kali’s shop, 2016. Photo: Mona Foundation
By 2019, with a larger income, Kali was able to purchase a piece of land, becoming the first female landowner in her village. With the help of a few Mona friends, Kali built a home for herself and her family, and added a second floor so she could teach other specially-abled girls how to sew.
When we visited Kali again in March 2023, we were thrilled to see how far she and her village had come. Her business continues to thrive and she now employs five young women. After visiting the shops, Kali graciously welcomed us to her new home and showed us the upstairs space where she teaches sewing. Outside her home, Kali had arranged a celebration where she and other Barli graduates welcomed us to an unimaginable degree — a beautiful tent, live music, refreshments and dancing all so generously set up in honor of our visit.
Woman speaking on how Kali helped her, 2023. Photo: Kelly Lacy, Make Beautiful, Mona Foundation
Several young women from Alirajpur and the surrounding villages spoke about how Kali has helped and inspired them:
Pushpa: “Since Kali was supporting the education of eight children and changing lives, this inspired me too, to sponsor the education of my sister’s daughter. This is like a chain reaction. One candle helps light the other.” This act of Pushpa motivated her sister to also go to Barli to learn cutting and tailoring, to give up consuming tobacco, and to focus on daughter’s education.
Ranjhu: “I wanted to establish a cutting and tailoring shop like Kali but was hesitant to leave my village (nearly twenty kilometers from Alirajpur). But Kali offered that I could stay with her in Alirajpur. With Kali as a mentor, I have improved my cutting and tailoring skills and am now earning sufficiently well to support my family.”
Sumitra: “The solar cooker at Kali’s home inspired me to also switch to using solar energy as much as possible. And now I too has a solar cooker in my village.”
Antar: “What touches me most is that Kali has broken the traditional mindset of the villagers and not only set a model for them but also made it easier for us. In my community, if you are handicapped, then you stay at home and are dependent on your brothers and parents completely for everything. In Kali’s case, it is other way round. Here is Kali who, walking with her stick, has learned to peddle the manual stitching machine, and started supporting her brother’s family. Then again, we couldn’t picture that a tribal woman, unmarried, and even more, specially-abled, could buy property in her name. But she did exactly that and has built a beautiful home which she uses freely to help others. She has inspired us all to spread out our wings and fly high.”
After this most recent visit, several members of Mona’s group shared their reflections, two of which are included here. The following is by David Wood, a member of Mona’s Board of Directors and CEO of Human Touch.
“… I had no idea how much of a “rock star” she [Kali] really is in her community and the admiration from the entire village she engenders. And Kali is not alone. Walking through the busy streets in this remote society, the evidence and impact of Barli and the production of leaders was visible on most every street corner. So many shops driven by Barli graduates employing others in their business and expanding this bounty to others.
“[W]hat really struck me was how many men – husbands, fathers and friends of these girls were present. While life opportunities are broadly scarce, Barli students are given a path to a life’s journey that so many others, including many men are not. I wondered whether there would be resentment and envy or love, support and admiration. I was so touched to see it was broadly the latter and all were so appreciative and delighted by Mona’s support.”
Mona team at celebration outside Kali’s home, 2023. Photo: Kelly Lacy, Make Beautiful, Mona Foundation
And from long-time Mona supporter Ray Rudolph:
“I walked the market on a non-market day and met the Barli women, more than 10 of them, who had been taught to read and write and sew at Barli, that had their own shops and were making income for them and their families. I was told if you come on market day, there are 80 of them with their shops open!! Can you even imagine 80 women in one tribal village having their own business? I couldn’t.
“When we were invited to the welcoming ceremony, I noticed that a bunch of motor bikes were arriving. I came to find out they were the men in these women’s lives who had come to support them… One man told me proudly that when his wife returned from Barli she taught him how to read and later how to sew. They opened a shop and after a while they bought a motorcycle and then a home. As I talked to him and saw his children there as he spoke with pride of the accomplishments of his wife, I thought “Yes, these are the people that will change this culture forever”.
“If you could see the gleam of pride in Kali’s father’s eyes as he greeted each of us and heard us celebrate her accomplishments, you know that the history of India will change and Mona Foundation is a part of that change.”
Today, Kali is a respected community leader and female role model who has improved the lives of hundreds, changed hearts and minds, and brought positive change to her entire village. Her story is a powerful example of the transformative power of education and the multiplier effect of educating girls.
Students at Barli Institute, 2023. Photo: Kelly Lacy, Make Beautiful, Mona Foundation
Barli Development Institute for Rural Women (Indore, India)
The Barli Development Institute in Indore, India has been educating and empowering rural and tribal young women since 1985. Offering a six-month residential training program with curricula on literacy, vocational skills, and community development, Barli aims to provide young women with the skills to start their own business and the confidence to become leaders in the transformation of their communities. With its focus on service and community development, educating one woman at Barli improves the lives of 10-20 others immediately and 100 more over time.
Barli is a portal for social change, using a forward-thinking curriculum to address complex, in-grained norms and build a world where women and girls can thrive. It is recognized by UNESCO as one of the top 100 education projects in developing countries.
To date, Barli has trained over 9,800 women from 950 villages, impacting and improving the lives of thousands more. Mona Foundation has partnered with Barli since 2005 and fully funds its operations.