My recent visits to the KF Sathiya Centres in Bagar and Assam offered a valuable opportunity to interact directly with fellows, field staff, and operational teams. These visits provided insights into the aspirations of our fellows, the strengths of our current approach.
When I met the fellows in Bagar, I saw that many of them are academically strong, they have access to education and resources, but for girls, the cultural norms are a big factor. Parents want their girls to take Govt jobs so either a teaching or clerical job in Govt. offices and are often not comfortable sending their daughters outstation for work, even if the opportunity is good. It’s not a question of whether the girls are capable, they are, it’s about the family’s comfort and social expectations.
In Assam, the dynamic was completely different. Some of the fellows have travelled over 500 km just to be part of this program in Guwahati. They have willingness to explore. These girls are ready to work outside their home districts, even in other states, and in different sectors. Mobility isn’t the challenge here — access, exposure, and networks are what they need most.
What I Felt About the Karuna Fellowship
This journey reminded me that KF isn’t just a programme, it’s a lifeline for many young women. It’s:
- A safe space where they learn to believe in themselves.
- A bridge between talent and opportunity.
- A gentle push that tells them, “You can go further.”
- A hand that lifts not just the fellow, but also the family’s thinking.
- Proof that change is possible when trust is built.
- And that trust is precious, families letting their daughters join KF are quietly breaking social barriers, step by step.
The OPS Team – Heart Behind the Work
If KF is the dream, the OPS team is the heartbeat. I saw their commitment—not in meetings or reports—but in the way they know each fellow’s story, in how they show up for them, and in the trust they’ve built with families. They’re not just teaching skills—they’re walking alongside these young women in their journeys. Their Sewa Bhav, their connection, and their local understanding make them pillars of the program.
My Takeaways
- Rajasthan and Assam taught me two very different lessons about aspiration, courage, and the barriers that hold dreams back.
- Some fellows need to be encouraged to take more initiative, to seek out learning themselves, especially in an age when knowledge is only a click away.
- KF is still young, and the world needs to know more about it. We must make it visible.
- In Rajasthan, we can’t just train the girls, we must win over the hearts and minds of parents and communities.
- The spirit I saw in Assam will stay with me, their determination to travel, to work, to make something of their lives, no matter how far from home.
I returned from this trip with a full heart, full of stories, of faces, of voices that keep echoing in my mind. KF is not just changing careers, its changing mindsets. And that, I believe, is where the real transformation lies.
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