New Delhi, November 18, 2025: Room to Read India has launched the sixth edition of its flagship Girls’ Education Campaign, Har Kadam Beti Ke Sang, with a special focus on financial literacy as a key life skill for advancing gender equality. The announcement was made during a national seminar held in New Delhi.
The 2025 edition, themed “Financial Literacy Ki Aur Badhe Hum”, aims to encourage open conversations on financial decision-making among adolescents—particularly girls—by promoting concepts such as budgeting, saving, goal setting, and distinguishing needs from wants. The campaign seeks to address gendered taboos around money and equip girls with the knowledge required to make informed financial choices and resist pressures such as early marriage.
The initiative will be implemented in partnership with state departments of Education, Women and Child Development, Tribal Welfare, SCERTs, and district-level gender cells to integrate gender-responsive financial literacy into school and community programs. The week-long campaign will also feature conversations with adolescents, practitioners and experts on how financial knowledge influences identity, empowerment, and long-term decision-making.
Speaking about the initiative, Poornima Garg, Country Director, Room to Read India, said, “Financial literacy gives girls more than economic skills—it gives them agency. Research shows that only 16.7% of Indian adolescents (ages 11–17) can correctly answer basic financial questions, and fewer than 20% of adolescent girls have ever made a personal purchase without seeking permission. These figures reflect not just gaps in knowledge, but lost opportunities for confidence and decision-making. When girls understand money, they understand their worth, their choices, and their power to shape the future. Har Kadam Beti Ke Sang is our call to make that empowerment universal.”
She added that the campaign aligns with the National Education Policy 2020, Sustainable Development Goal 5, and the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Since 2005, Room to Read India’s Girls’ Education Program has supported more than 396,050 girls, with a 98% advancement rate. About 80% of its alumnae have completed tertiary education across eight states. Earlier editions of the campaign have highlighted issues such as digital inclusion, safety, and mental well-being.
The national seminar also featured sessions including “My Financial Journey,” where adolescents shared personal experiences related to financial access, and a panel discussion titled “Breaking Gender Barriers — Whose Space is Finance?” The event concluded with a segment on future commitments to strengthen financial literacy as a tool for empowerment.
With the 2025 edition, Room to Read India aims to promote financial confidence among adolescents and reinforce the broader goal of ensuring that girls are not only educated, but equipped to make independent decisions for their future.
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