In rural India, adolescents are often treated as passive recipients of programmes rather than active partners in shaping solutions. This limits their ability to challenge barriers such as child marriage, school dropout, and gender inequity. Since 2015, the Sphoorthi programme in Koppal, Karnataka, has addressed this gap by organizing 35,000 girls into 3,500 groups across 239 villages, federated into local and district platforms. Guided by an empowerment framework-power within, power with, and power over (systemic influence) Sphoorthi positions adolescent girls as leaders and decision-makers.
The model combines life-skills training, community dialogues, exposure visits, and peer mentoring. Girls first form village groups, which elect leaders to represent them in council-level groups and nominate representatives to a district collective. This structure enables girls to address local issues, engage governance institutions, and influence policy.
From April 2022 to March 2025, the Sphoorthi program has prevented 111 child marriages, supported school re-enrolment, and partnered with KHPT to deliver nutrition education in Koppal district. During COVID-19, they successfully advocated for sanitary pad distribution, secured access to a public employment scheme, and won the UNICEF YuWaah Award. At the policy level, Sphoorthi was identified as a promising child marriage prevention model, invited to lead a government-backed gender-based violence programme for 600,000 students, and included in consultations with the provincial head of government.
Sphoorthi demonstrates that federated, girl-led collectives amplify agency, voice, and systemic influence, offering a replicable pathway for sustainable, adolescent-led change aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
In rural India, adolescents are often treated as passive recipients of programmes rather than active partners in shaping solutions. This limits their ability to challenge barriers such as child marriage, school dropout, and gender inequity. Since 2015, the Sphoorthi programme in Koppal, Karnataka, has addressed this gap by organizing 35,000 girls into 3,500 groups across 239 villages, federated into local and district platforms. Guided by an empowerment framework-power within, power with, and power over (systemic influence) Sphoorthi positions adolescent girls as leaders and decision-makers.
The model combines life-skills training, community dialogues, exposure visits, and peer mentoring. Girls first form village groups, which elect leaders to represent them in council-level groups and nominate representatives to a district collective. This structure enables girls to address local issues, engage governance institutions, and influence policy.
From April 2022 to March 2025, the Sphoorthi program has prevented 111 child marriages, supported school re-enrolment, and partnered with KHPT to deliver nutrition education in Koppal district. During COVID-19, they successfully advocated for sanitary pad distribution, secured access to a public employment scheme, and won the UNICEF YuWaah Award. At the policy level, Sphoorthi was identified as a promising child marriage prevention model, invited to lead a government-backed gender-based violence programme for 600,000 students, and included in consultations with the provincial head of government.
Sphoorthi demonstrates that federated, girl-led collectives amplify agency, voice, and systemic influence, offering a replicable pathway for sustainable, adolescent-led change aligned with the Sustainable Development G ...
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