All About USF (Udayan Shalini Fellowship Program)

by Leads B. Marketing

India has a long way to go when it comes to achieving gender equality. A girl child in India is still perceived as a burden. They bear the brunt of being born in a patriarchal society. Often they do not go to school or get limited education without earning any employable skills.

Thus there is a dire need for women mentorship programs to groom these girls and empower them with skills and various capacities.

One such program is Udayan Care’s Shalini Fellowship Programme. It is a highly effective women mentorship program that provides financial backing to girls to continue their education after 10th. Additionally, it inculcates confidence, skills, and personality development in these women from weak socio-economic backgrounds.

Here is everything you need to know about Udayan Shalini Fellowship Program

What’s all it about?

Udayan Shalini Fellowship program derives its name from 2 Sanskrit words - Udayan and Shalini. Udayan means eternal sunshine and Shalini means a dignified woman. The idea behind this name is to signify that a girl becomes a dignified empowered woman or a ‘Shalini’ by the virtue of USF.

It is a flagship program that offers academic excellence and personality development to girls coming from weak socio-economic backgrounds.

The average period for each program is 5-6 years. It means that girls get enough time to follow courses thoroughly and overcome the constraints of belonging to the underprivileged backgrounds.

By the time they complete the program, they are passionate, meritorious, and able individuals with a never-give-up mindset.

Why is USF needed?

Gender disparities are deeply ingrained in Indian society. As per recent reports, the average dropout rate for girls is 4.10% which increases to 16% on a secondary level. These figures get notably higher for girls with a weak socio-economic background reaching up to 24.4%.

The retention rate of girls in school at the secondary level is 55%. Hence, a women's mentorship program like USF is much-needed in a country like ours.

This fellowship program seeks to redress the imbalance. It aims to provide an opportunity to women from non-privileged backgrounds to fulfill their potential.

The program entails much more than facilitating financial aid. It provides women mentoring, includes resource workshops, and inculcates a responsibility of giving back to society.

Objectives of Udayan Shalini Fellowship Program

Encouraging women to study via financial support

A poor financial background plays a major role in forcing girls to drop school. USF aims to remove the constraint of financial hurdles for girls to continue their education.

By providing financial help, Uadayan- an esteemed women's education organization - allows girls to attain secondary education.

Personality development via Workshops

To excel professionally, academic excellence is not enough. Therefore, the USF women's mentorship program focuses on imparting personality development in young women.

These women receive academic excellence, life skills training, and career counseling.

Uadayan, a woman NGO aims to broaden the horizon of its Shalini's and provide them training to excel in every field.

Mentoring to facilitate individual guidance

The fellowship program of Udayan woman NGO aims to empower women to become robust by facilitating mentorship and counseling.

Each Shalini gets a designated mentor to help her navigate the program. Counselors provide support and attention at every step. The personalized guides aid them to become confident and stable individuals.

Volunteering in NGO

The USF program also aims to impart a sense of social responsibility among women. It encourages women volunteering in NGOs so that they can give back to society.

They help younger Shalinis to become strong and capable women ready to outshine the world at every opportunity.

Developing Employability Skills

Simply being educated is not enough, women need employability skills to excel professionally. Therefore, the USF women's mentorship program aims to provide these skills via training on career options, job-oriented development, and a better understanding of the professional world.

What makes USF different?

Admission Criteria

The admission criteria are unique for the USF program. Each girl has to pass a 4-stage assessment process consisting of an application, written test, interview, and home visits. This ensures that only the most talented and interested girls get the scholarship.

Financial Support

The USF sponsors the education of girls from standard 11 to vocational studies. They get an opportunity to study at premium institutions overcoming the constraints of a weak socio-economic background. The scholarship amounts to INR 9k to 12k depending on the course and its duration.

Pyramidal Mentoring

Each girl gets a dedicated mentor who acts as a senior guide. From psychological support to career advice, Shalinis can rely on these mentors for everything.

Social Service

Each girl is asked to dedicate at least 50 hours to social service. This helps to foster a feeling of giving back to the society among them. They get to become responsible and confident citizens by volunteering in NGOs.

Interactions with Families

Udayan is one of the few women’s education organizations to interact with the family of their fellows. The regular interaction allows the family to remain updated about the progress of their girl child and provide her with the necessary support.

Alumnae Network

USF has a robust alumnae network of Shalinis who remain in constant touch with other and help each other throughout their lives - a trait not present in any other NGO working for girl child education

Impact of USF

● USF has benefited 9468 girls by the year 2021 including 1022 girls being enrolled in 2021 alone

● It has helped Shalinis across 13 states in India

● A total of 1068 Shalinis appeared for class 12th boards, out of which 1037 scored 1st division and 639 scored 80%

● As far as professional fields are considered, Udayan - a woman NGO via its USF program has created 33 Ph. Ds, 27 doctors, 22 pharmacists, 13 company secretaries, 41 chartered accountants, 139 engineers, 187 teachers, and 53 nurses.

Udayan as an NGO working for girl child education is helping girls from all over the country to break socioeconomic barriers and excel at their lives.