How One Woman Brought 2 Million Girls Back to School Across 30,000 Villages
The Problem Was Massive
Picture this: over 7 million primary-aged girls missing from India's classrooms. An entire generation at risk of being lost to poverty and illiteracy.
"If we wanted to make sure we weren't going to lose another generation of girls to poverty and illiteracy, we had to act fast," recalls Safeena Husain, whose new book Every Last Girl chronicles her remarkable journey.
But where do you even begin with a problem that enormous?
The Strategic Breakthrough
Husain turned to data. Using the World Economic Forum's gender gap reports and government education statistics, she identified exactly where the crisis was most severe.
The revelation was stunning: of India's 600 districts, 26 had the worst gender gap in education – and nine of those were all in Rajasthan state.
"I had, with one list, managed to narrow down the problem from everywhere across the country to one state, and from a haystack of 600 districts to what I believed were the nine worst districts in the country."
— Safeena HusainShe'd found her starting point. Not everywhere. Not someday. Rajasthan. Now.
Starting at the Epicenter
The nine districts formed a "V" shape on the map, with Pali sitting at the center – the epicenter of the crisis.
In Pali, only 44% of women could read. The other 56% were trapped in cycles of poverty, vulnerable to exploitation, unable to protect their own rights.
Working with the Rajasthan education minister, Husain secured approval to start in three "development blocks" within Pali – areas where:
- Rain-fed agriculture was the main income source
- Drought and infertile soil forced families to migrate for 6-8 months yearly
- 40-45% of the population belonged to historically marginalized communities
Village by Village, Girl by Girl
The approach was methodical and deeply personal. Teams piled into white Mahindra Commander jeeps and bumped along dusty rural tracks to reach remote villages.
At each school, they built comprehensive profiles:
- School size, teachers, learning materials
- Infrastructure: electricity, water, toilets
- Most importantly: lists of girls who'd dropped out or never enrolled
"We had lists, we found girls, we enrolled girls – we certainly thought the system was working."
— Safeena HusainThe Human Stories Behind the Numbers
At one village school, children sat cross-legged on striped rugs laid on a polished veranda, like actors on a stage. Some spilled out from the classroom, chasing the natural light instead of relying on the single bare bulb that swayed with the ceiling fan.
The headteacher opened a scruffy A4 notebook with a marbled cover and ran her finger down pale green lined pages – each line representing a girl who should have been there but wasn't.
Behind every name was a story. A family that needed her to work. A belief that educating girls wasn't worth it. A lack of safe toilets at school. Poverty. Tradition. Distance.
The Expansion: 30,000 Villages and Counting
What started in three development blocks expanded systematically:
- 50 schools in Pali and neighboring Jalore district
- Expansion across all nine worst-affected Rajasthan districts
- Eventually reaching 30,000+ villages
- Over 2 million girls enrolled or re-enrolled
Why This Matters
When a girl gains an education, ripple effects transform entire communities:
- Economic independence: Educated women earn higher incomes and lift families out of poverty
- Health outcomes: Educated mothers have healthier children with lower mortality rates
- Breaking cycles: Educated women are more likely to educate their own daughters
- Protection from exploitation: Literacy prevents fraud, land theft, and abuse
The Bigger Picture
In 2026, Husain's work continues to expand. The systematic, data-driven approach she pioneered has become a model for education activism worldwide.
From identifying the worst gender gaps to village-level outreach campaigns, her strategy proves that even the most daunting challenges can be tackled with determination, smart planning, and unwavering commitment.
"I can see Jassi's mum, who nearly lost her savings to the bank she thought she could trust, and Poonam, who lost her land to a scheming nephew, all because she couldn't read. This plan was for them."
— Safeena HusainOne Girl at a Time, One Village at a Time
Seven million girls seemed impossible. But by breaking it down – nine districts, then three blocks, then fifty schools, then one village, then one girl – the impossible became achievable.
Today, 2 million more girls sit in classrooms, their futures transformed. They can read. They can calculate. They can protect themselves. They can dream.
And it all started with one woman, one list, and the courage to begin.
Source: Excerpt from Every Last Girl: A Journey to Educate India's Forgotten Daughters by Safeena Husain, published by HarperCollins India
