Bano’s Story: Getting Our Girls Onboard

While Bano was forced to drop out of school in her 7^th grade, the story of her brother Inam is completely different. Bano had stopped going to school because her mother is very unwell. Her mother wanted her to help her older sister, who also was forced to stop her education, to do household chores. The decision was taken much against their will. On the other hand, Inam, the male child of the family had stopped going to school due to lack of interest, but his mother still assumed it was necessary for him to continue his studies.  It took many home visits by the MCF team to convince mother and to send Bano back to school, but the task was not an easy one. They also spoke to the teachers in the village school to accept Bano. They did!  And they arranged for a scholarship for her as well. With the promise of free education,  Bano was back home again, doing house work.  With consistent follow up and more conversations, which included Bano’s brother Inam, things then began to change and they finally agreed to send Bano to school. The next day, an MCF volunteer, Satyabala,  took Bano to school at 8:30 am (on time) and also dropped her back at home. They all followed this plan because it meant safety for Bano with a trusted friend because of the relationship the MCF had built with the family,  and Bano started attending school again. But Bano’s mother was also very happy to learn that all this work and connections had also influenced Inam and now he was now eager to join the school again. The siblings were both admitted to 8th in their school close by.