Great change comes with small steps | Mansi Mehta | TEDxDumas

Summary

A young woman shares her journey of founding a foundation to educate and empower underprivileged girls. Inspired by meeting Poornima, a freedom fighter, and her interactions with a girl named Lakshmi, she realizes the importance of education and decides to teach life skills and creativity to girls in her community. Overcoming initial challenges, she successfully engages more girls and even her younger sisters in her mission. Her efforts transform the aspirations of the girls, shifting from limited ambitions to dreams of achieving more, highlighting the ripple effect of individual actions in creating positive change.

Takeaways

• 👩‍🏫 The speaker created a foundation to impart knowledge and life skills to girls.
• 🙌 The story emphasizes the ordinary yet impactful nature of the speaker.
• 🕰️ The journey began with a historical inspiration from Poornima Bin Picasa, a freedom fighter.
• 💪 The speaker was determined to meet Poornima despite obstacles, demonstrating persistence.
• 📚 Poornima encouraged the speaker to get well-educated and to educate others.
• 🌟 Lakshmi, a girl in an abusive marriage, inspired the speaker to take action for girls' education and empowerment.
• 📖 The speaker published a collection of poems inspired by Lakshmi's story.
• 👧 The speaker's maid's daughter expressed a desire to be a maid, sparking the speaker's mission to change aspirations through education.
• 🏫 The foundation started with four girls in a parking lot and has grown to 15, with the speaker's younger sisters joining the mission.
• 💡 The key message is the power of individual action and the potential for ordinary efforts to create significant change.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the foundation created by the speaker?

The foundation's main purpose is to impart knowledge of day-to-day life to girls from underprivileged backgrounds and help them understand the value of life through education.

Who inspired the speaker to start this foundation?

The speaker was inspired by Poornima bin Picasa, a freedom fighter who taught Kasturba Gandhi how to read and write, and by Lakshmi, a girl from a slum who faced hardships and inspired the speaker to help other girls.

How did the speaker first learn about Poornima bin Picasa?

The speaker read about Poornima bin Picasa in a history book and later visited the institution named after her during a family trip.

What message did Poornima bin Picasa write in the speaker's diary?

Poornima bin Picasa wrote, 'Get well-educated and educate your sisters,' in the speaker's diary.

How did the speaker meet Lakshmi?

The speaker met Lakshmi while passing by a garden road every day. After weeks of waving to her, Lakshmi finally waved back, and they began a silent friendship.

What challenges did Lakshmi face in her life?

Lakshmi was married off at an adolescent age to an abusive husband and was described as being 'insane' and 'having no brain' by a watchman.

What realization did the speaker have after learning about Lakshmi's situation?

The speaker realized that many girls in the world, not just in her city or country, suffer from abuse and lack of education. This realization motivated her to take action.

How did the speaker start her foundation?

The speaker started her foundation by requesting her maid to help find girls from a slum area to teach. She began with four girls in her parking lot and later developed a proper classroom with the help of her parents.

What subjects and activities does the speaker teach at her foundation?

The speaker teaches life skills, health and hygiene, personal creativity, dance, music, and other subjects and activities that can help the girls develop.

What impact has the foundation had on the girls it serves?

The foundation has positively impacted the girls, changing their thought processes and attitudes. For example, a girl who once wanted to work as a maid now aspires to write, speak English, and become a dance teacher at the foundation.