From Silence to Strength & Shame to Self- confidence: Budding Female leaders leading the change in Bihar

In the iconic Bollywood film Amar Akbar Anthony, three brothers got separated in early childhood and then got reunited as grown-up young men. However, everyone is not that fortunate. Puja (21 years old) had a traumatic childhood when her father passed away after her birth and she was harassed by the step grandmother soon after her mother remarried. Puja (8 years at that time) and her elder sister (11 years) left home for a better option but got separated at Patna junction while deboarding a train. Puja’s journey as a single homeless girl started then with lots of ups and downs. At times she met good people, but no help could continue for longer period and every 3-4 months she had to encounter a new (mostly bad) experience. Finally, she managed to reach the Child Care Institutions (CCI) run by Social Welfare Department, Government of Bihar and then her life started stabilizing. “I don’t remember I had ever eaten a hearty meal as far as my memory goes. After entering th...