Meet Munni

In a slum on the outskirts of Bihar, India, lives Munni, 16, her parents, her 5 brothers and her 2 sisters. Munni belongs to one of India’s most marginalised communities known as “Musahar.” Within India’s complex caste system, this community is seen as being without any caste and so face discrimination and live in extremely bad conditions.

Within Munni’s community many girls and women are married at a young age, and do not attend school. Munni’s father and grandfather are strongly in favour of marriage and arranged for her to do so when she was eight. The intervention of both her mother and the Save the Children community workers prevented this. 

Munni’s mother was strongly in favour of education, “Because I felt I lived my life but my child can do better in their life only if they are literate. So, I fought with my family and decided that my children will study. If they will study, they will have better work.”

Four years ago, she decided to start a special literacy class for her community, so that women could at least read and sign their names. Along with her friends, also members of the group, they motivated women to attend the class. 

At first nobody took her seriously. She finally got her mother and two other women to attend the class, after which many other women became interested and started to attend the class. Munni now has twenty women enrolled in her class.

As a result of the class, Munni and her friends have earned respect within the community and are an important mobilising force amongst women and children.