WOMEN EMPOWERMENT: Ms. H. P. RANI PRABHA, Durgabhai Deshmukh award winner for excellency in voluntary sector

"To educate girls is to reduce poverty."~Former UN secretary General Kofi Annan 

As March 2016 was National Women's History Month (dedicated to honoring women of public service, and women in general), I wanted to showcase Ms. H.P. Rani Prabha, an amazing woman who runs a nonprofit organization to uplift and empower young, rural women in southern India. She founded Om Sri Sainatha Home Nursing Care Institute in 2008, an organization that aims to empower young, rural teenage girls who are unable to pursue higher education after tenth grade, by providing them a free training opportunity in the field of home-based nursing assistance. Once enrolled, these young women receive free housing and over a years worth of training from an Indian government-sponsored medical institute at the renowned JSS Hospital in Mysore, Karnataka (one of India's southern states). Once the training is completed, these women go on to provide assistance to a variety of patients, from the elderly and terminally ill to post-surgery patients and patients suffering from dementia.

The institute also provides spoken English classes, communicative skills training, and leadership training. Ms. Rani Prabha herself plays a vital role in recruiting young rural women to the program. She, along with Sri Channabasappa, the director of the organization, run the nonprofit.

I had the privilege of interviewing Ms. Rani Prabha at her institute and meeting the students. It was a memorable experience to hear the stories of the young rural girls as they seek to becoming nursing aides. Rani Prabha has dedicated her life to women empowerment, and has brought about remarkable transformations in the lives of many girls from underprivileged socioeconomic background.

It is an honor to profile such an inspiring women role model in our blog. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors and thank her for her extraordinary humanitarian service.

Cheers,
Apoorva Rangan