BENGALURU: International Day of the Girl Child is observed on October 11, as declared by the United Nations in 2011. The day recognizes the unique challenges faced by the girl child all over the world.
As a part of the International Day of the Girl Child initiative, Embassy Group hosted 12 girl students from Shanti Bhavan Residential School, at the Hilton Embassy Golf Links. The Canadian High Commission facilitated the girl students to shadow learn from CXOs of corporates in different fields of business.
This experience will help them learn about the corporate world and in turn equip under-served students to be empowered future citizens and leaders.
Some of the participating organizations in the programme were Consulate General of Canada, Pimarq, We – MANA & AH Rogya, Embassy Office Parks, Infosys, Novatek International, Innovatia, CGI and Amadeus Software Labs India Pvt. Ltd.
The programme started with short presentations by the Canadian Consul General, representatives of the Indo-Canadian Business Chamber and the girl students. This was followed by each girl student travelling with her sponsor CXO to the respective workplaces, for a familiarization of the different functions of the business as well as interacting with other employees. Each girl child gets to be a CXO for the day at the Sponsors’ Workplace. The programme will be concluded with all the participants talking about their insights and sharing the lessons learnt during the day. It is interesting to note their enthusiasm to explore various interests in pursuing their future career path.
Speaking on the occasion, Mike Holland, Chief Executive Officer, Embassy Office Parks, said, “At Embassy, we have women employees at all levels. This is a great opportunity for the students present here to learn more about the corporate world, professional life and explore varied interest for their future. With the gender disparity gap narrowing in India, this initiative will surely inspire the girls to take the lead and dream big. We are very grateful to be a part in this initiative and we would like thank the Canadian High Commission and Shanti Bhavan for their efforts in creating this awareness.”
Mr. Eric Robinson, Consul and Senior Trade Commissioner, Canadian High Commission, said “International Day of the Girl Child celebrates girls as agents of change and leaders of today and tomorrow. It is fantastic that Embassy Group has agreed to be a part of the day by hosting an interesting morning with the girls and the respective sponsors”
Vyshali, a student from Shanti Bhavan Residential School, (17yrs old, 12th standard) said, “For me this event has been a fabulous experience. Overall, this is going to be a life changing experience for all of us because opportunities like these are very rare. Most importantly, this event helps us to realise the true value of education and I am hoping to take it forward. Our school’s mission is to take another 100 with us in the journey.”
Canada spearheaded the creation of the International Day of the Girl Child and has been an active participant each year in observing the day. In India, the Canadian government missions have worked actively with civil society to mark the day and raise awareness about the problems that girls across the country face. In addition, they are also doing innovative work to address these challenges. This work aligns closely with the Indian government’s efforts such as the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhaocampaign (Save the girl, Educate the girl).
