Nanhi Kali
Launched in 1996 and jointly managed by KC Mahindra Education Trust and Naandi Foundation, this is one of the flagship programmes and focuses on education of the girl child from underprivileged sections of society. Collaborating with 19 NGOs, it operates in nine states in India. Until 2014 more than 100,000 girls were educated in total, and to date, over 12,000 students have completed Grade 10.
Attempts are also made to involve the larger community to which these girls belong and educate them on the need for education and gender equality. This is especially important as without the support of the family and society it is difficult for a girl child from a poor household to transcend the limitations of her circumstances and actually realise her personal ambitions. Efforts are made to track the progress of the students who seek to pursue higher studies.
In 2015, 33 Nanhi Kalis received scholarships to undergo livelihood training at Mahindra Namaste, where they could choose to be trained in customer relationship management (CRM), information technology-enabled services (ITeS), or hospitality.