A severely malnourished teenage girl, struggling with tuberculosis and barely able to breathe, became one of the many reminders for Monika that awareness alone is never enough. Her team coordinated with the District Child Protection Office (DCPO) to get the girl admitted to a hospital for ten days, but for Monika, the larger question remained. Why do so many families wait until a crisis becomes unbearable? Through Sambhav Trust, the organisation she founded in Jharkhand, Monika is working to ensure that children and communities do not just receive support but also learn to speak up for themselves before problems become emergencies.
Growing Up With Gender Discrimination
Although Monika now works in Jharkhand, her journey began in Muzaffarnagar in western Uttar Pradesh. She grew up in a Jat family where, she says, girls’ education was often treated differently from boys’. The experiences she witnessed during childhood shaped the direction her life would eventually take.
“I come from a Jat family. At that time, there was significant gender discrimination regarding education, which still exists today,” she recalled while speaking to The Logical Indian.
Despite performing well academically, continuing her education was far from easy. She remembers facing opposition even within her own family.
“My brothers even fought with me, saying I wouldn’t be allowed to study further.”
Her father, however, continued to support her. She completed her schooling up to Class 12 at a Gurukul in Dehradun. Returning home did not end the struggle. Pressure to discontinue her education continued, prompting her to move to Delhi, where she took up small jobs while pursuing her studies through distance education.
Over time, she built a professional career and eventually became an Associate Manager at an e-commerce platform. But once again, family expectations intervened.
“I even reached the post of Associate Manager at an e-commerce platform, but I had to leave because of family pressure to get married.”
Completing An Unfinished Dream
Marriage brought Monika to Jharkhand, but it did not diminish her desire to complete her education. The challenges she had experienced only strengthened her conviction about its importance.
“It is very difficult to study without family support. To me, education doesn’t just improve your documents; it prevents you from losing in life.”
She believes education develops the confidence to question injustice and resist social pressures.
“It builds a thought process that doesn’t let you stop or bow down to wrong things; it helps you raise your voice.”
Twelve years after interrupting her academic journey, she completed her MSc from Sarla Birla Institute in 2022, describing it as a personal promise fulfilled.
“I eventually completed my MSc from Sarla Birla Institute in 2022, 12 years later, just to prove to myself that I could do it, and I scored very well.”
Choosing Grassroots Work Over A Comfortable Career
After completing her degree, Monika received multiple job opportunities, including remote positions that offered good salaries. Yet she chose a different path.
“I had many job offers, even remote ones where I could earn well from home. But I realized that while many people have money, very few hands are executing work at the grassroots level.”
She believed she could become one of those hands because she personally understood discrimination and also had access to people willing to financially support meaningful initiatives.
“I felt I could be those hands because I understand the pain of discrimination. I also have a circle of people who can provide financial support, so I can be a bridge.”
Rather than implementing someone else’s vision, she wanted to build something rooted in local realities.
“I wanted to see if I could establish something in a rural area and implement my own vision rather than just following someone else’s.”
Together with fellow founders from Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste communities who had faced similar struggles, she established Sambhav Trust.
“Our founder members at Sambhav Trust share this vision. They are local people from the ST and SC communities who have faced similar problems.”
She added, “Even if we don’t have much money, we will keep working for the community; we won’t just depend on funds.”
Building A Space Where Children Can Speak Up
The vision of Sambhav Trust is “to nurture aware citizens for an inclusive and empowered society.”
In conversation with The Logical Indian, Monika explained that many of the children they work with are first-generation learners. According to her, nearly 98 percent of the children associated with the organisation fall into this category. They often lack awareness about their rights, government schemes, or even how to raise concerns with local authorities.
She also pointed to the vulnerability of children in parts of Jharkhand.
“For instance, data shows that 82% of trafficking in Jharkhand happens from certain areas.”
She described Khunti district as a “red flag zone,” where girls as young as 14 or 15 leave home to work as domestic workers.
Instead of limiting their work to awareness sessions, Sambhav Trust focuses on helping children develop confidence and leadership.
“Our programs are designed not just for awareness but to strengthen children so they can raise their issues in the Gram Sabha and self-help groups.”
Learning Through Challenges
The organisation did not begin with education. Initially, the founders concentrated on women’s empowerment because they did not believe they had the expertise to work directly in education.
Over time, they realised that many of them had lacked career guidance while growing up.
“We felt that if we had known why we were studying, our situations might have been better.”
A turning point came when they received a grant and mentorship from the Azim Premji Foundation.
“They guided us to focus on one thing deeply rather than doing ten things poorly.”
The mentorship encouraged the organisation to prioritise education, child safety, and anti-trafficking.
The early years were challenging. Funding was limited, formal qualifications in social work were absent, and community trust had to be earned from scratch.
“In some villages in the Torpa block, people had burnt their Aadhaar cards and wouldn’t let us enter. They were suspicious of outsiders.”
Persistent engagement gradually changed those relationships.
“We worked hard to build trust, and today the community, the government, and PRI members believe in us.”
Programmes Rooted In Community Participation
Today, Sambhav Trust runs four core programmes.
Its Adolescent Empowerment Program, supported by the Infinity Foundation, operates across 11 villages in two panchayats. Around 500 children participate in groups where they identify local issues themselves and present them before the Gram Sabha. One example Monika shared involved children raising concerns about people consuming alcohol on their playgrounds.
The organisation also runs a Sports Program aimed at keeping adolescents engaged and reducing school dropout rates while discouraging addiction and gambling.
Its Child Protection Programme, implemented in collaboration with the DCPO, works across 16 panchayats covering 95 villages to revive Village Level Child Protection Committees.
Alongside these efforts, Sambhav Trust is establishing After-School Learning Centers after identifying a strong demand for support in English, Science, and Mathematics. Five learning centres are being opened to strengthen students’ academic foundations before they enter Class 9.
Strengthening The Organisation For The Future
Monika acknowledges that organisational visibility has not always matched the work happening on the ground.
Since January, Sambhav Trust has been working with the Dhwani Foundation on organisational development. The collaboration includes support for website development, compliance processes such as 12A and 80G registration, and strengthening HR and finance systems.
She says structured communication about the organisation’s work will become more visible soon.
The organisation also collaborates with several partners, including Buddy4Study, where it has conducted scholarship seminars across ten major universities in Jharkhand, and Rubaroo, a Hyderabad-based organisation working on interfaith dialogue. Monika also acknowledged the guidance received from Ajay and Chandan Singh of Pratigya, saying their support helped the organisation become more strategic.
Looking Beyond One District
While many organisations are already working effectively across different parts of Jharkhand, Monika sees opportunities to expand Sambhav Trust’s specialised programmes.
She hopes to take initiatives such as the After-School Learning Centers and Life Skills programme to more underprivileged children, including those living in urban slums.
Looking ahead over the next five to ten years, she wants to establish a network of learning centres across Jharkhand.
“I want to establish a channel of learning centers across Jharkhand so village children get the same support as private school students.”
Her goal is to help children understand why education matters while strengthening their academic foundation and career awareness. She also wants safe migration to become a priority so that children and parents better understand their rights and safety.
A Message To Women
For women considering entrepreneurship or social work, Monika’s advice is simple.
“If you want to do something, don’t just think, start doing it.”
She believes a lack of background should never become a barrier.
“Don’t worry about a lack of background. If you are sincere, people and money will follow.”
She acknowledges that family resistance and challenges are common, particularly for women, but encourages them to remain confident.
“There will be challenges and family resistance, especially for women, but you must remain strong. Don’t show your fear. If you are truthful, people will trust you and give you opportunities. Don’t have a second thought; just step out.”
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Monika’s journey highlights how personal experiences of discrimination can become the foundation for meaningful social change. Instead of allowing barriers to define her future, she transformed them into a mission that focuses on education, child protection, and community leadership.
Sambhav Trust’s approach goes beyond service delivery by encouraging children to identify problems, participate in local governance, and understand their rights. As grassroots organisations continue to address challenges that often remain invisible, Monika’s work demonstrates that lasting change begins when communities themselves are empowered to become active participants in shaping their future.
What role do you think community-led organisations like Sambhav Trust can play in creating safer and more equitable opportunities for children in rural India?
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