Skip to content

Girls Opportunity Alliance: Laxmi's Story

Right now, more than 98 million adolescent girls are not in school. Laxmi Nishad was one of them.

Laxmi grew up in Lucknow, India. She is the eldest of five siblings, and neither of her parents had the opportunity to finish school. When Laxmi was 13 years old, her mother passed away, and Laxmi had to put her studies aside to help support her household. She cleaned seven houses to raise enough money to feed her siblings. But she always remembered how much she loved to learn.

A woman with medium-deep skin, long hair, eye shadow, and red lipstick lightly smiles. She has a camo military shirt on, a belt and jeans on. The setting is a classroom in ok condition.

Then Laxmi heard about the  Prerna Girls School (Opens in a new tab), which was started by Dr. Urvashi Sahni and the Study Hall Educational Foundation to provide affordable education to underprivileged girls. The school runs in the afternoon to allow girls with work commitments to attend. Dr. Sahni welcomed Laxmi into the school with open arms. As Laxmi says, “Prerna became my family. My second home.”

Some of the Prerna Girls come together for critical dialogue. Ed

Laxmi completed school at Prerna and went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree. Today, she works as a head sales manager at a call center, where she earns enough money to pay for her family’s food, clothing, and schooling. She even saved enough money to buy a plot of land of her own.

“My education paved the way for a brighter future for me, but the difference it made was even greater than that. Because it paved the way for my siblings and family, too.”

My education paved the way for a brighter future for me, but the difference it made was even greater than that.”

Laxmi

My education paved the way for a brighter future for me, but the difference it made was even greater than that.

placeholder

Support Young Women

You can support young women around the world through the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund.

Donate on GoFundMe (Opens in a new tab)
Aspect Ratio

Watch Diana’s story

Malawi | See how a scholarship from AGE Africa helped Diana attend school.

Learn more
Aspect Ratio

Watch Rebecca’s story

Rebecca experienced FGM when she was just 12 years old; she was the fourteenth girl in her village to be cut that day. Afterwards, she was considered a woman, so her family decided she should drop out of school and get married. Rebecca vowed that some day things would be different for her daughters.

Learn more
Laxmi's Photo Portrait

Watch Laxmi’s story

India | See how the Prerna Girls School helped Laxmi balance her family’s needs and her education.

Learn more
Aspect Ratio

Read Hay's story

Vietnam | Learn how the Rock-Paper-Scissors Children’s Fund provided Hay the tools she needed to succeed.

Learn more
Aspect Ratio

Read Kiran's story

India | Learn how one young woman overcame gender discrimination to attend school with help from the Study Hall Educational Foundation.

Learn more
Single Image

Watch Thuba's story

Namibia | See how Thuba is empowering girls through sports with Physically Active Youth.

Learn more
37-scaled

Celebrate Mother’s Day with the Girls Opportunity Alliance

This Mother's Day, send your mom or the woman who raised you a card designed by the Girls Opportunity Alliance!

Learn more