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REMODELLING
HOW WE learn
Aarti Naik created the Sakhi School for Girls’ Education, in the Mulund slum in Mumbai, India to empower slum-based girls and their mothers.
“I grew up living in a slum community with no education or support for girls. The schools in India teach in Hindi or English and in the slum we speak the Merati dialect, so we aren’t able to understand what we are being taught. Like many girls around me, I became a school dropout. I didn’t know how to read, write or do maths and my parents were unable to pay fees for private tuition. I had no choice but to work. I was making necklaces, earning 9 rupees (13 cents) a day. I knew that education was my escape, so I saved up and used the money to help me pass my exams. The word ‘sakhi’ means ‘a female friend who inspires, guides, and supports other girls for a good cause’. My mum had struggled all her life but she passed on her determined spirit and inspired me. First, I had to teach myself to be a teacher.
The Social Entrepreneur: Aarti Naik
Photo by Sophie Sheinwald for Generation Share.