Canadian Women Now and Then: More than 100 Stories of Fearless Trailblazers

Canadian Women Now and Then: More than 100 Stories of Fearless Trailblazers — page 5
ACTIVISTS Anjali Katta NOW Born 1997 Birthplace Sudbury Ontario If we give a girl a chance imagine how different the world would be Since the age of six Anjali Katta has been helping people She's made jewellery to raise money for the British Columbia Children's Hospital helped in soup kitchens and volunteered with groups in India where her parents were born One day while visiting Mumbai India Anjali met girls her age who were forced to work instead of getting an education Some were forbidden to go to school because their parents were worried the boys there would harass them To help girls like them Anjali founded GirlsCo when she was 16 years old The not for profit organization raises money for girls education One of the organization's projects is Bombay Pads It delivers menstrual products and sex education to girls and women in Mumbai so that girls don't have to miss school or be shamed for not having such products That means they have a better chance of keeping up with their classmates In 2014 Anjali spoke to the United Nations on the International Day of the Girl She talked about what it means to be a girl and how in some parts of the world girls are made to feel unimportant But she said girls are actually capable and strong A year later Canada's government set up the Girls Advisory Council to find out what is important to Canadian girls Anjali was chosen to advise the council She wants to empower girls in Canada and raise awareness about the difficulties that girls face around the world GirlsCo also holds conferences across the country to encourage young people to become activists just like Anjali