No longer invisible: How Names on Doors is giving rural girls a name and voice

At first glance, Kalmeshwar in Maharashtra’s Nagpur looks like any other semi-rural region of the country—a collection of villages clustered around an industrial hub. However, a unique practice sets this place apart—in 18 villages of the area, every house door sports the name of the family’s daughters. 

The names of these girls welcome visitors to their homes, thanks to a unique initiative, Names on Doors, started by the Magic Bus India Foundation, along with JSW Foundation’s JSW Aspire in 2023. 

The city of Kalmeshwar is surrounded by 108 villages. In the rural areas, families have no permanent sources of income, and people mostly work as labourers.

Children attend government schools, but the area is prone to high dropout rates and absenteeism.

“Being an underserved geography, you wonder how much young girls are prioritised in this setting,” says Dhanashri Brahme, Chief of Programmes at Magic Bus India Foundation.

Magic Bus India Foundation is a non profit organisation established in 1999 with the aim of supporting children in poor rural areas. It works around providing life skills, academic and peer support for adolescents.

Their adolescent and livelihood programmes have supported almost 35 lakh young people to date. Today, the organisation works in more than 80 districts in 23 states across India, along with Nepal and Bangladesh. 

Giving girls an identity

Brahme has worked in the development sector for 30 years now. She has been a part of the United Nations Population Fund, working extensively on gender issues at a national policy level. After her time at the UN, she wanted to pursue grassroots action against gender discrimination. 

Gender disparities are still rampant in several rural regions of India, whether in opportunities for education or future prospects. Places like Kalmeshwar still see girls getting married early, and dropping out of school in large numbers. 

“Across geographies, girls and boys have different exposure, opportunities and needs. But providing girls the visibility to be their own person is important,” she says.

Thus, the idea of having girls’ names on doors was born, as a way to combat the low confidence and fears of dreaming bigger that girls in villages struggle with. Adolescent girls in the area, aged 12 to 16, were considered for this programme. The programme is active in 18 villages such as Kalambi, Borgaon, Adasa, and Waroda, among others. 

“It’s a ripple effect. Giving girls their identity within the house makes them feel more confident outside in life too. They can occupy the space that is rightfully theirs,” Brahme explains. 

The impact of the initiative is tangible. For Asawari Patil and Sambodhi Walke, two 9th grade students from the villages of Mandvi and Gondkhairi, seeing their names serves as a symbol of hope and pride. 

During parades and events, other villagers see their names on the nameplates. “I was not confident in talking to people. Now, I can share my opinion,” says Patil. 

“As girls, we have responsibilities at home, but we can also have dreams!” adds Walke.

Gradual acceptance

The Magic Bus India Foundation team anticipated resistance when they started the project. ‘Why should we do this?’ is the most common question Brahme’s team has faced, since houses are seen as the man’s property; a result of his earnings.

“Even radical initiatives would usually bring up wives’ rights to the house as spouses. We have gone a step further and focused on daughters,” Brahme says. 

The team approached this situation by engaging with local governments, schools and village elders.

“People listen to them as they are respected in the community. Working with them helped counter resistance,” she explains. 

Acceptance was a gradual process, with only 9 out of 24 schools in the district agreeing to be part of the programme initially.

The programme got recognition from the Block Education officer, and panchayats. 

“My parents initially refused, but the people from Magic Bus India Foundation and my school spoke to them about girls’ capabilities and responsibilities; that girls should also have their unique identity,” says Walke.. 

“When my brother asks why his name isn’t outside the house, I tell him that he would always have such nameplates as he grows up, as men do. I wouldn’t, if it weren’t for such an initiative.” 

Ripples to waves 

The Names on Doors initiative is gradually bringing more people into the conversation and initiating a shift in mindsets towards girls in the region.

“When people see my name outside my house, they'll think if they should do this too,” says Patil. 

However, making a real impact requires change to be fostered at a cultural and institutional level as well. 

“Even if girls go to school or become literate, it doesn’t automatically make them confident and self assured” says Brahme. 

The amplification of the programme was larger than her team expected. The team worked with the Bal Panchayat in the area, who played an important role representing the children’s voices. They also believed that their parents and neighbours would listen to village elders, school, and the village sarpanch. 

“Investing in the process of institutionalising can go a long way. Campaigns are time-bound. Working with the systems has made schools also willingly continue this programme for successive cohorts,” Brahme adds.

Today, there are 2,100 such nameplates across 18 villages around Kalmeshwar. As an immediate impact, the girls in these houses felt confident that they were an important part of their family and community. Even parents gave the foundation the feedback that their daughters are more proactive in school and home. 

The team found that many families also wanted to engage in the conversation, rather than being completely resistant. 

The Magic Bus India Foundation aims to expand this initiative to other villages in Kalmeshwar. For other regions, changes in approach would have to be considered. 

“Every region responds to a programme differently. In Kalmeshwar, parents were open to listening to schools and the elderly about this initiative, as they want their daughters to study well. The programme works well here, but we will have to plan a different approach for other parts of the state or country” says Brahme. 

“We need more such tempered radicalism — working along with communities and institutions, to tackle issues like gender biases on the ground.”

“We have had thousands of celebrities and sportswomen who have become famous. But there is a need for local role models” she adds. Asawari Patil and Sambodhi Walke, along with their friends and other girls in the area, are those role models now. 

(The story has been updated to use the full name - Magic Bus India Foundation and to correct a typo.)