Education is not only about schools—it’s about agency, health, and empowerment. A research intern with ZealGrit reflects on women’s education in Bihar, sharing Neetu’s story of how health literacy transformed her family’s future.

Three months ago, I joined ZealGrit Foundation, a grassroots organisation based in Supaul, Bihar. We work on addressing malnutrition in communities whose issues rarely appear in headlines or online. Since then, I have spent more time unlearning than learning. I have discovered that some lessons only come when you sit with the communities, listen and absorb like a sponge, and notice what the books never mention. Here are three lessons I carry with me every day.

Remember how our mothers would encourage us as kids, saying, “Mera bahadur baccha jaldi se dawa kha lega! (My brave child will take medicine quickly!)” whenever we refused to take medicine? Their gentle encouragement and warm reassurance made all the difference. Recently, in Triveniganj, I have seen this happen often—but with women, not children. Many women avoid Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets, even though they are crucial during pregnancy and lactation.

While India has reached Mars and aspires to be a global technology leader, millions of women in rural Bihar still struggle to access basic knowledge about their own bodies. In the absence of education, myths, fears, and whispered half-truths shape their understanding of reproductive health. Today, I share the story of Neha, a 25-year-old woman from a village in the Supaul district. She never went to school and got married so young that she cannot recall her age at the time.

Eight months ago, ZealGrit decided to step into Supaul, where data speaks of a grim reality. 69.4% of children aged 6-59 months were anaemic, and 42.9% of children under five were stunted. But beyond the statistics, we saw stories of silent battles, of mothers trying to raise their children with little to no support. If we wanted to improve maternal and child health outcomes, we had to start from the very beginning—from conception to the first two years of life.

मैं बिहार के सुपौल जिले की रहने वाली हूँ। मेरे पिता किसान हैं और मेरी माँ गृहिणी। मेरे दो बड़े भाई हैं, और मैं अपने पिता की इकलौती बेटी हूँ। यह मेरे लिए बहुत गर्व की बात है में अपने परिवार में पहली लड़की हूँ जो जॉब करती है। मेरे परिवार में कई और लड़कियाँ हैं, लेकिन उनमें से कोई नौकरी नहीं करती। हालाँकि, मेरे भाई सब किसी न किसी काम में व्यस्त हैं। मैंने बीएड और बीए की पढ़ाई पूरी की और फिलहाल एमए कर रही हूँ। जब मैंने ZealGrit में वैकेंसी के बारे में सुना, तो मुझे लगा कि मुझे आव

Supaul, where we operate, presents concerning health indicators. According to the National Family Health Survey-5 data (2019-20), over 50% of pregnant women and 60% of children aged 6-59 months are anaemic, while nearly half of all children under five are wasted or underweight. These numbers made it clear that intervention was necessary. But numbers alone never tell the whole story. To really understand the need, we had to get up close. With that in mind, we created our to-do

These sketches reflect a harsh reality that many adolescent girls face, particularly in rural areas. While many of us talk about empowering our daughters, too many are still married off at ages as young as 12 to 18. Society often asks, “What’s the point of educating a girl?” instead of saying, let's educate her and make her self-dependent. We all know this, and yet it is worth reiterating that girls can achieve incredible things when given the right opportunities.

What came first—the chicken or the egg? It feels like one of those never-ending debates. The same can be applied to malnutrition. Malnutrition is the cause or outcome of poor health. It's challenging to pin down because malnutrition forms a vicious cycle, constantly feeding into itself. Let us understand this with Radha's story (name changed). Radha is a 16-year-old mother of a three-month-old baby. She had lost her first child during delivery barely a year ago when she was n

“Shehnaaz Gill sheds 12 kgs by reducing her meal portions and eating only twice a day!” This eye-catching thumbnail on YouTube captivated my friend and led her to drastically cut her diet portions, hoping to achieve similar results. This single real-life example illustrates mass media's profound effect on our food choices, shaping our decisions based on fleeting trends rather than sound advice. While I write this blog, I am reminded that this wasn't an isolated incident.

Imagine walking into a classroom buzzing with excitement. The students are eager for the session, their faces lighting up as they greet you. You start with a simple question from the previous discussion, and immediately, hands shoot up to answer. These moments, where even the shyest students are beginning to speak up and engage, are not just moments of pride—they're filled with hope and optimism for the potential of meaningful change.

Remember the iconic struggle in "Toilet-Ek Prem Katha," where Keshav (Akshay Kumar) fights against age-old traditions to build a toilet for his wife? Let me take you through a similar basic yet eye-opening journey unfolding in Supaul, Bihar—a tale that challenges our perception of basic necessities. Imagine moving to a place where the sight of families using an open field as their bathroom is a daily reality.

When we hear the word "breastfeeding," we often picture a mother feeding her baby with a smile on her face. But doesn’t this picture seem incomplete? How about a mother nursing her baby while the father prepares food for her, both sharing a smile? How beautiful would that be! A family picture of mutual support.

“God could not be everywhere, so he made mothers” deeply resonates with our story today. Every heartbeat carries stories of love, strength, and resilience. A mother sacrifices everything for her child, experiencing every step of pregnancy over nine months. However, for rural mothers from the Dalit communities in Bihar, these sacrifices are compounded by significant challenges. Recently, I met Sita Devi (name changed), 30, pregnant with her fourth child.

Weight loss wasn’t a random decision but a choice that I made after enduring all those years of hurtful judgements and bullying. The people’s unkind statements and indifferent looks pushed me to focus on my inner strength and become a new person. I reflect and realise that life is an intricate web of moments, hardships, and victories, where each thread carries an individual story. One such story is my weight-loss journey.

Do you ever miss the comfort of home-cooked meals when you’re travelling, but then find yourself craving street food like spicy chaat when you’re back home? If you are the kind of person who enjoys a delicious meal so much that you overindulge and ignore the feeling of being too full, then this is for you! This story dives into the joys and struggles of our ever-changing food desires, and yes, I will be sharing some consequences of my cravings as well at the end!