#MeriBetiStrong campaign addresses the importance of girls’ aspirations and dreams

Breakthrough India, in partnership with Clinic Plus, launched a programme called Hauslon ki Udaan in 2021 with an aim to encourage mothers to empower their daughters. In collaboration with Breakthrough, the campaign has transformed into a comprehensive adolescent empowerment program. This includes emphasizing aspects such as strengthening the bond between mothers and daughters and believing that strong mothers raise strong daughters.

Speaking on the occasion, Nayana Chowdhury, Breakthrough’s Senior Program Director said, “MeriBetiStrong is a significant campaign for us. Over the years we have seen, although inter-generational communication within families is a challenge, daughters often find it easier to open up to their mothers about their aspirations than any other member of their families. We work through an approach wherein we not only strengthen girls' aspiration and negotiation skills around them, we also work with mothers’ groups to sensitize them on gender-based discrimination within families. They realize how their being supportive to the needs of young girls regarding their life choices; such as marriage, career aspirations, and education can break the barriers of limiting gender norms that keep girls from achieving their fullest potential. After all, aspiration is the seed that will make sure girls stay longer in schools and build their bright future. Mother-daughter stronger, makes our country stronger,” Nayana Chowdhury, Senior Director of Program, Breakthrough India.

Participating in the program, Deputy Director Women Welfare Praveen Kumar Tripathi said that "Mother-daughter relationship is an unbreakable relationship in the society and this relationship becomes the basis of their life. This relationship further forms the foundation for their daughter's aspirations.”

Impact So Far

We have reached 78,714 people under this program, of which the adolescent reach has been 67,436!

Through this program we have seen a remarkable shift in mother-daughter bonding. Sensitized mothers were more receptive in understanding daughters’ aspirations. Towards the culmination of the program in early May 2023, 58% adolescents said they could talk to their mothers about the age of marriage and pursuing their education as compared to just 38% at the beginning of the program in 2021.

About Breakthrough:

Breakthrough is an organization that works to end violence and discrimination against women and girls. Through art, media, popular culture and our on ground programme called Adolescent Empowerment Programme, we are inspiring people to create a world in which everyone can live with dignity, equality and justice. We are also mainstreaming women's rights issues through our multimedia campaigns and making them relevant to communities and individuals across the country. Along with this, we also train youth, government officials and community groups to create a new Breakthrough Generation that can make a difference in the world around them.