Footprints mentor Jerrica Fatima Ann’s first meeting with her mentee Sri Priya, 16 was awkward. Jerrica spoke confidently in English while Sri Priya struggled to reply as she was more comfortable speaking in her mother language, Tamil. “Communication was an...

Teacher S. Jegatheesan, 53, has been among the first to be involved in the Maharani camps, during its initial days in 2010, in Sungai Siput, Perak, Malaysia. “When the Maharani programme was first introduced in Sungai Siput, it was tough...

C. Jinesyah, 23 had always wanted to volunteer for a worthy cause but did not get the opportunity until she joined the Quest International University (QIU) to further her studies. “Through the recommendation of my lecturer Ms Gogilavani, I joined...

Thenesh Madhavi was born into a poor family in Kunchankaladdi village in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. With five daughters, her father struggled to provide for the family as their only source of income came from his bicycle repair shop in the...

As a Maharani camp facilitator P. Mathiarasi, 27 spends a lot of time with the girls who attend the camps. “I remember when I first walked in and met the girls, I greeted them in English and they all kept...

Manasi Prasanna Karandikar, 39 from Mumbai, India has always been passionate about teaching young children. Pursuing her interest, she joined the Quest International University (QIU) in Malaysia and enrolled in the Early Childhood Education programme. When RYTHM Foundation launched Footprints,...

The stories she heard from her seniors in school motivated R. Pennarasi now 17, to participate in a Maharani camp three years ago. Impressed with the first-phase camp and amazed by the changes that she saw in herself, Pennarasi completed...

Social entrepreneur Hejang Misao is an advocate of female empowerment. He strongly believes that girls must be given equal opportunity access to education and earning a livelihood. This is not an easy topic to address in the rural areas of...

Clutching her examination results, P. Thenmoley could not stop smiling. “I couldn’t believe that I managed to score A in my Mathematics and English tests. Before this, my results have always been Ds,” she said. “Thanks to the coaching I...

Social activist Mangles looks back at her days with the girls from the Maharani programme, back in 2017 when she was among those instrumental in revamping the programme and the way the camps were run. “I was brought in to...

During a visit to a rural village in Saijang, Manipur, social activist Hejang Misao, 41 gathered a few children in the village and asked them to draw what was on their minds. “Imagine my shock when all the children including...

As a blind student, Gloria Amoah navigates the world in darkness. Moving around may require carefulness from the 19-year-old, but she has found opportunities to keep herself mobile and active through various sports-based activities in school, helping her connect with...