Rescue Pink Inc

The first thing we do is rescue. It’s the thing we can do right now to protect young girls who are already at risk.

One of the ways we do this is by offering a daily after-school program for vulnerable girls at our centers. They are given supplemental nutrition because many of them come from families that are extremely poverty stricken, and meals are not a priority for girls in their families. We give them one protein-rich meal when they arrive at our centers, and just before they leave to go home for the evening we give them a protein packed cup of milk to get them through the night. We also offer them free healthcare for any medical needs they may have.

By having the girls with us every day we are able to keep an eye on them. We have relationships with the family and can intervene if they are considering child marriage or getting rid of her in any way.

We teach the importance of education, and we’ve made school attendance a requirement in order to attend our after-school program. Among girls in rural villages, education has not been a priority, and thus holds them back from succeeding in life. This keeps them in a cycle of poverty where they can’t go for higher education or be hired for jobs that would provide for them. We tutor the girls every day to make sure they are staying on track and learning, and we teach them English, which has become the official language of their country (and the only way to get well-paying jobs, go for higher-education, or know how their own government works).

We work with the girls to give them life-skills: things such as teaching them about computers and how to navigate them, how to grow kitchen gardens, and how to sew. We try to give them as many life-skills as possible to help change the trajectory of their lives.

And finally, we help promote their self-esteem in as many ways as possible, instilling in them that they are “beautiful, strong, and brave.” We work hard every day combating the messages they are given at home of unworthiness, to a more powerful message from us, that they can do anything they set their minds to.

LOOKING FORWARD 10, 15 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, THESE GIRLS WILL BE ABLE TO GO FOR HIGHER EDUCATION,

AND BE ABLE TO HAVE JOBS TO PROVIDE FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES.

THESE THINGS WILL BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY THEY WERE BORN INTO, FOR THEMSELVES, AND FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

A way that we rescue and prevent these issues is by finding pregnant or lactating women who are vulnerable, and help facilitate a community for them. Most women have felt like property most of their lives and have never experienced the feeling of friendships and sisterhood. We provide the avenue to build these friendships in order to give support and encouragement to one another.

At these gatherings we offer them supplemental nutrition, because most poverty-stricken women feed their families first, and often nothing is left for them. We teach them about family planning and health, and how to take care of their bodies. They learn, often for the first time, how the nutrition of the mother directly relates to the health of the baby.

WITH THIS INITIATIVE, IT GIVES THE BABY GIRLS A STRONG START. THE MOTHERS ARE HEALTHIER, THERE ARE LESS COMPLICATIONS DURING PREGNANCY AND BIRTH, AND THE CHILD MORTALITY RATE DRAMATICALLY DECREASES.

We use this 9 months of building relationship with them to be able to speak into their lives when they give birth to their girls. Through this we are able to rescue babies from being killed at birth, and then we talk to the mom about getting her to join our women’s entrepreneurship program and rescue her own girl - to help create long-term, self-sustainable change.

As women have lived over the years feeling little to no value, they often feel hopeless and have never vocalized their hopes and dreams before. Through our entrepreneurship program, we take these women and infuse them with hope, and teach them to dream again. We offer them a community, and give them business training. We teach them good business practices and how to write a business plan. We help them use their own skills and talents and see how it can impact their own communities. Then when they are ready, we give them a microloan, help them open a bank account, and help them launch their businesses.

IN THE LAST FEW YEARS WE’VE HELPED HUNDREDS OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS LAUNCH THEIR OWN BUSINESSES WITH EVERY SINGLE WOMAN DOUBLING, TRIPLING, AND SOME EVEN QUINTUPLING THEIR HOUSEHOLD INCOMES. WITH THEIR SUCCESSES, IT ALLOWS WOMEN TO HAVE A VOICE IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD ABOUT THEIR OWN TREATMENT, AND THE TREATMENT OF THEIR DAUGHTERS. IT GIVES THEM A SENSE OF PRIDE AND OF VALUE. AND HUSBANDS ARE HAPPY TOO, BECAUSE IT RELIEVES SOME OF THE PRESSURE FROM HIM, AS HE BEGINS TO LEARN THAT THE WOMEN AND GIRLS IN HIS HOUSEHOLD ARE VALUABLE.

We find that many in India have become desensitized to the long-term effects of the decisions they make today; how the shortage of girls is making a profound impact on its culture already, and will continue to worsen in the future. We are already seeing extreme violence against women in India that stems from centuries of a disregard for its women. Through the use of social media, video and other means, we work hard to bring these issues to light.

We work to create awareness at the village level, as we find that many families in rural areas have no idea what government programs are available to them and how to access them. These programs are meant to create hope, but most villagers have no idea they exist. We teach young people the ways they can bring about change in the ways girls are valued in India. We warn families of how traffickers work, by coming to rural villages promising a better life for their girls, while they end up being used for slave labor or sex trafficking.

We teach girls how to overcome discrimination, and how to be more confident and dream big. We teach them of the various forms of abuses and how to fight back, not be silent, and raise their voices against such violence.

AWARENESS ALONE DOESN’T SOLVE AN ISSUE, BUT AWARENESS IS THE START THAT’S NEEDED TO CREATE CHANGE.

WE WILL CONTINUE TO SOUND THE BATTLE CRY AND FIGHT HARD AGAINST THESE INJUSTICES.