A note to my team and friends of VOICE!

Dearest Team and Friends of VOICE!

This year has been the farthest I have ever been from all of you. I moved to Bangalore in the first quarter, and that, in itself, seemed monumental. Being physically away from most of the team and our work in the field was heart-wrenching. However, with all the support and encouragement, I took the leap of faith and moved. It was amazing to see the jigsaw pieces fit together. The team found new ways of being and doing. In all of this, I found a rhythm too. Not easy, as I draw my energy from you folks. However, you all made it happen for me and us.

And just as the jigsaw fit, I decided to jumble it all up again. This time, the puzzle got more difficult, though. I was selected as an Echidna Global Scholar at the Brookings Institution. This was a prestigious opportunity in so many ways. Firstly, it was a recognition of my many years as a gender and education expert and as a Global South leader. Secondly, as a scholar, I presented how adolescent girls in India are trapped in unrealized potential (cycle of denial) and how, as an evidence-to-impact case study, VOICE 4 Girls is helping break the cycle of denial. The voices of girls from VOICE 4 Girls not only echoed in global circles but roared! We have a voice in the global space, and our girls and VOICE 4 Girls are showing possible pathways for adolescent girls to create positive futures of their choice.

Powerful voices: How adolescent girls in India are breaking barriers and creating change

Strengthening girls’ agency: A story of hope and transformation in India

However, this was not easy on many counts. Firstly, I had to stay away from family, especially two small kids who did not completely understand why work would keep me away from them for so long! Secondly, I had an accident that left me lost in the American healthcare system. Thirdly, as a team, we had to not only find a way to connect, but we had to do it on a reverse time zone.

Was all this worth the outcome? It is a resounding yes. I was a Scholar among three incredible women: Thinley Choden from Bhutan, Susan Opok from Uganda, and Nariman Moustafa from Egypt. I also found much respect, warmth, and support from the GEET team at the Centre for Universal Education at Brookings. I learned so much from them and hopefully will continue what started in DC. Watch out for the publication of the Policy Brief as well as many possibilities I hope will happen in collaboration with Thinley Choden in South Asia, as well as with the alumni of the Echidna Global Scholars.

2024 will now be a year of inner work, new strategy, new possibilities, and new ways of working—all aligned with the one vision: when a girl finds her voice, the world around her begins to change.

Warm Regards,

Anusha Bharadwaj