Two girls hailing from poor Dalit families, Manpreet Kaur (13) and Ramanpreet Kaur (12) studying in VIII and V1 standard respectively at the state-run Elementary & Middle School were selected randomly for meeting Mrs. Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, First Lady of the United States.
And so were Apreet Buttar (11) and Ankita Dhukia (10), both studying in VI standard at Guru Harkrishan Public School in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan.
All four of them represented dual cause on their date with the First Lady – the abysmal sex ratio in not just their home state Punjab and Rajasthan but across India as a country, and the declining tree cover. Nanhi Chhaan Foundation (NCF), a not-for-profit organization having twin goals of restoring the gender ratio and increasing tree cover in the country, had sponsored and enabled their meeting with the First Lady.
“We firmly believe that little girls who grow up to be mothers imparting a blissful shelter to the family, and trees that grow up to provide the life sustaining cover to the ecosystem are the greatest givers and therefore need to be protected and preserved. Thanks to the US Embassy, girls representing the cause met the First Lady today. It is as powerful a platform as we could be gifted with, to promote the dual cause and be blessed twice over,” said Mr. Harpal Singh, Chairman, Nanhi Chhaan. For the girls, especially, Manpreet and Ramanpreet from Punjab, it was an unforgettable experience as well. They had never stepped out of Punjab before this. Being a motherless kid and brought up by her uncle, Manpreet has braved all odds to do well at school, especially in Kho-Kho, a regional sport. Ramanpreet, daughter of a farm labourer, too has a corner reserved for ‘prizes’ won at the school in her one-room house. She dreams of becoming a doctor. Their village, including the school, has been adopted by Nanhi Chhaan.
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