“Our standard of living has changed”

In observance of International Women’s Day, the Avery Dennison Foundation is proud to affirm its commitment to funding programs that empower women, and to share this story of how Foundation-supported scholarships in India are helping to lift young women out of poverty.

When Devika and Kusuma sat down five years ago to take a routine high school achievement test, the two young women from outside Bangalore might not have sensed that a door was opening for them. But at a time in their lives when many girls in India drop out of school, Devika and Kusuma’s test scores qualified them for a scholarship the name of which means “opportunity” in Hindi, and which offered them a way through the economic and cultural barriers that held back many women before them.

Created especially for families living in extreme poverty, The Avasar Scholarship Program provides education, training, and mentorship to academically capable girls from age 14 through college and beyond, providing support until the scholars become employed. The scholarships help ensure that the girls stay in school by paying school fees and expenses — for supplies, clothing, transportation, and meals — that their families might not otherwise be able to afford. In addition to attending school, scholarship recipients gather monthly to socialize, learn work-related skills, and receive coaching from working professionals.

“Our mission is to lift underprivileged women up the social ladder and, and in many cases, out of the cycle of poverty,” says Anand Chaturvedi, founder and managing trustee of The Avasar Foundation. “Our vision is that this will lead to lasting impact for subsequent generations.”