Nestle and Project Nanhi Kali look to replace 'thumb impressions' with 'signatures'

Nestle and Project Nanhi Kali's initiative '#EducateTheGirlChild' has released a film that looks to push change in Dhusra, a village in Jharkhand. The video has been conceptualised by Blush in partnership with Nanhi Kali.

 

The film explains how educating the girl child is the key to a progressive society. The objective in the town is to attain 100 per cent literacy in the future. It opens with women from the village listing their problems, which stem from illiteracy. The block development officer of Patamda (a village Panchayat in Jharkhand), Sachidanand Mahato, noticed that in the village register there were a lot of thumb impressions. He looked to change that to signatures and took it upon himself to teach the members of the village how to write. Assisting him in his efforts are school teachers and school children. Teachers would write the names of students' parents in their books and ask the children to make them re-write it.

 

Chandrasekar Radhakrishnan, SVP, communications and e-commerce, Nestlé - South Asia, said, “The objective of our campaign is to sensitise and draw attention to the fact that society needs to embrace collective responsibility in ensuring that more girls have the opportunity to pursue education. Educating the girl child has a much larger impact. Not only does education improve the lives of the girl child, it also brings positive changes to their families, communities and economies.”

 

Sheetal Mehta, trustee and executive director, K. C. Mahindra Education Trust - Project Nanhi Kali, said, "The film reaffirms the fact that there is no better investment than investing in a girl’s education. Project Nanhi Kali has been investing and supporting education for girls for the last two decades and is currently supporting 1,20,000 girls. We believe educated girls create transformational changes in the society with the benefits extending to their families as well as their communities. This is evidently clear in the film."

  

Blush's statement revealed, “Education is the only way to progress and educating a woman will ensure development at the grass root level. Partnering with Nestlé was ideal for this initiative as it resonated with the concept of their corporate campaign. We hope this video helps to increase literacy rates in villages and gives every girl child the right to education.”