Cosmo Foundation Marks Girl Child Day by Strengthening Grassroots Change and Building Future-Ready Rural Girls

New Delhi, October 10, 2025: On the occasion of Girl Child Day, Cosmo Foundation, the community outreach initiative of Cosmo First, reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to empowering rural girls through education, skill-building, and community-led transformation. For over 17 years, the Foundation has been at the forefront of this change in villages across Gujarat and Maharashtra – helping young girls overcome socio-economic barriers and build futures of independence and confidence.

At the heart of this journey lies Balmitra, an initiative that trains and deploys local educated women as educators within their own communities. These Balmitras serve not only as teachers but as role models and catalysts of change – bridging the gap between home and school, tradition and progress. They engage with families to dismantle deep-rooted biases, ensuring that every girl child has the right and opportunity to learn.

To create a more inclusive and enabling environment, the Foundation has also introduced a series of interventions – ranging from menstrual hygiene awareness programmes and gender-segregated sanitation facilities in schools to self-defence training that builds both physical and mental resilience. Recognising that education must translate into opportunity, Cosmo Foundation also equips girls with digital literacy, English fluency, and technical skills in emerging sectors such as electric vehicle maintenance and automobile servicing – preparing them to enter and thrive in industries traditionally dominated by men.

Stories like that of Saleha Malek, an 11th-grade student from Karjan, stand testament to this change. Once limited by rural realities, Saleha is now a self-reliant young entrepreneur whose papercraft business supports her education and household, thanks to the Foundation’s mentorship and exposure programmes.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Yamini Kumar Jaipuria, Managing Trustee, Cosmo Foundation and Whole-time Director (Corporate Strategy, ESG and CSR), Cosmo First, said “Over the years, we have seen that true empowerment begins when change is nurtured from within the community. Our girls are not just beneficiaries of education; they are drivers of transformation. When a girl learns to use a computer, speaks English with confidence, or repairs an electric vehicle, she’s not just breaking barriers – she’s redefining what’s possible for an entire village. At Cosmo Foundation, we believe our mission is complete only when every girl has the tools and confidence to write her own story. Because when you educate a girl, you empower a family, a community, and the future. Every girl deserves the chance to rise, shine, and lead.”

Through its sustained initiatives, Cosmo Foundation continues to nurture grassroots change, creating an ecosystem where girls in rural India are equipped not only to dream but to achieve – becoming the architects of a more equitable tomorrow.