Millions of girls and young women in India remain out of education, employment or training, particularly in rural areas where poverty, distance from secondary schools, household responsibilities and social norms constrain girls’ learning. For those who leave school early, returning to education is difficult: many need flexible support to prepare for exams, rebuild confidence and secure recognised qualifications that can open up future opportunities.

Educate Girls works with communities and state governments to identify, enrol and support out-of-school girls in rural India. Its long-running Vidya programme mobilises local volunteers to go door to door, engage families, enrol girls in school and support learning. Its newer Pragati programme provides second-chance education for adolescent girls and young women through learning camps, Open School enrolment support and a WhatsApp-based chatbot designed to make independent study more accessible.

Educate Girls has already demonstrated how deep community mobilisation, strong government relationships and evidence-backed delivery can reach scale. Its next chapter is about testing how second-chance education for older girls and young women can also be embedded into public systems, supported by technology and delivered in ways that preserve the trust and local engagement that made the original model effective.