Environmental Sanitation Institute (Gandhi Ashram Trust Project)

With a vision to cultivate leadership skills of girls from backwards communities, this project trains girls to "ladder" other girls like them in their communities, passing along learned skills. The process begins with the selection of two young women who would serve as Ashram Mitras (mitra means "friend" in Sanskrit). They receive financial support to cover their basic needs for several years so they can dedicate themselves to their work. Then they mentor 20 "ladders" each headed by a student leader and composed of five students. Daily and weekly meetings followed, in addition to leadership training sessions and medical camps.