Positive Solace with Attika Choudhary
In March 2020, the UK went into lockdown as did most of the world. As people reached out to Attika, about feeling anxious and confused, she wanted to do something helpful and the “Positive Solace” podcasts were born. Mental health has been her concern for some years and this led to the creation of a team which would make it happen.
Hosted by BBC’s Attika Choudhary, Positive Solace is a podcast that will empower your mind, spread positivity and wisdom. The guests are from different backgrounds, cultures, experience and learning. In their own, unique way they are doing what they can to help their community overcome the challenges and lead people to a better place. The conversations are not scripted: they are raw and show vulnerability and create a place where these voices can empower us all. So come join us as we laugh, get emotional and travel the world!
Positive Solace with Attika Choudhary
Indian Village Girl gets to Harvard with Seema Kumari
In this instalment of “Positive Solace: Women of Vision - Indian Village Girl gets to Havard", Attika meets Seema Kumari, a 17-year-old, who comes from the village of Dahu in Northeast India.
Young girls in Dahu and the Jharkhand region of India face unimaginable challenges – education is very limited, and not seen as a priority for young women. As a result of this, over 50% of young women in the State drop out early or do not attend school at all, and are at extreme risk of human trafficking.
They are likely to end up in a forced marriage when they are not even 12 years old!
In 2012, Seema joined the YUWA Academy: an organisation that aims to shield young women from such dismal futures.
Girls who enrol with YUWA (which translates as “Youth” in Hindi) create their own soccer teams and are mentored each week.
This adventure has taken Seema around the world – from training as a football coach with Real Sociedad in Spain, to spending summers studying at Washington University in the United States.
Thanks to YUWA and Seema’s newly boosted confidence, her determination and inner strength - she has just been accepted into Harvard University with a scholarship to study Social Studies. Harvard is one of the most prestigious universities in the world, with a historically low acceptance rate of people outside the USA. This also makes Seema the first woman in her district to receive a university education.
Seema speaks to Attika about just how challenging life has been up to now, how supportive her family have been of her endeavours, and how excited she is for the future.
Find out more about YUWA and the work they do: https://www.yuwa-india.org/
With thanks to the Positive Solace Team. Don’t forget to subscribe to never miss an episode.
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