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13-year-old Unjila’s badminton practice used to end as soon as the sun set, now she can develop her racket skills well into the evening hours
As the sun sets on the horizon, 13-year-old Unjila enthusiastically walks back towards her school playground along with her classmates. But this time she’s wearing her sports jersey instead of her school uniform.
After a long day at school, she’s looking forward to her evening badminton lessons at the school playground. And, after having won the district-level competition, her coaches are confident that she’ll secure a leading position at the upcoming state-level championship.
Unjila is a 9th grade student at the Government Senior Secondary School Kanwarsika in the Nuh District (Mewat) of Haryana. Nuh lies 57 km away from Gurugram, a financial and industrial hub in southern Haryana, a three-hour drive from the national capital.
Gurugram has the third-highest per capita income in India. Nuh, on the other hand, is regarded as the most backward district in India owing to its poor performance on basic development indicators such as health, education, agriculture, financial inclusion, skill development, and basic infrastructure. The contrast between the two towns couldn’t be starker.
Around 79% of Nuh’s population is Muslim, many of them Meo-Muslims – a minority community that follows parts of both Islamic and Hindu customs. The conservative mindset of the local population presents a major challenge for young girls like Unjila to receive good quality education and future opportunities.
This is further compounded by financial constraints at home, thereby resulting in a very high rate of school dropouts, especially among Muslim girls. All these factors contribute to a skewed female literacy rate (33.7%) in the region.
Our NGO partner SRF Foundation is committed to providing these young and talented girls an opportunity to play sports even after dark by illuminating their playgrounds with solar-powered lighting.
By enabling them to play competitive sports on a regular basis, the program enhances not just their sporting skills but also their self-confidence, over the long term.
Our program ‘Khel Jyoti’ illuminates the badminton court using high-mast LED lighting. These lights are powered by a solar system that offers a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution to overcome the region’s frequent power supply shortages.
As a direct outcome, the project has expanded the student’s daily practice time by two hours, enabling them to improve their skills significantly. This is reflected in the increased number of players now qualifying for district and state-level competitions, thanks to their newly lit badminton courts.
It’s inspiring to see that Unjila’s hard work and dedication is already paying off, helping her secure the 3rd position in the recent district-level badminton championship, earning qualification for the state-level championship.
She’s seen as a role model for others in her area, carving new paths and opportunities for herself and other girls, helping them dream about a brighter future!
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