The Nanubhai Scholars program is a sustainable, renewable, and thriving program that provides young women in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh with the funding needed to attend college, thus allowing them to achieve financial security for themselves and their families. Educated women overwhelmingly reinvest their earnings in their local communities, and make better informed decisions when it comes to the wellbeing of their children (both in terms of health and education). In fact, a World Bank study found that women who receive even one additional year of education increase their earnings by 20%.

The program is simple in its design and operation, but has been carefully tweaked over the last ten years to optimize our Scholar selection process to ensure that we find the applicants who are most likely to succeed in their goals. Each year, our ground team visits area schools to publicize the Scholars program and distribute applications. Applications are then collected, digitized, and scored. Approximately the top 30% of applicants will be invited to share the results of their 12th Board exams, which is used to determine if they will continue on in our selection process. Based on exam scores, approximately the top 15% of applicants are then invited to come for an interview. Interviews are conducted by a panel of our Indian Trustees, and cover questions ranging from why they want to be chosen for this scholarship to future plans, and available family resources.

After interviews have been completed and scored, the final Scholars are chosen, and a waitlist is set up for candidates who fall just below the cutoff line. Chosen Scholars are notified and invited to join us for a celebratory function where they are formally awarded their scholarship, expectations and responsibilities are explained, and checks are distributed.

How much is the check? A Nanubhai Scholarship is worth up to 30,000 Rupees (roughly $375) per year, or 90% of a Scholar’s expenses. Why 90%? We ask that families join us in investing in their daughter’s future by putting forth 10% of the cost. This helps to ensure that families are as supportive and dedicated to ensuring their daughter’s success as the Nanubhai team is.

What makes a Nanubhai Scholar? A drive to do something more, to become something more, to change the quality of life for their families and inspire their communities. Nanubhai Scholars come from disadvantaged backgrounds, but demonstrate academic merit and that intangible drive to make the most with the life they’ve been given. As young women from rural villages, they rise above the fact that only 10.6% of Indigenous young women in India are able to attend college. Here is the profile of a typical Nanubhai Scholar:
–88% of Nanubhai Scholars are first generation high school graduates – on average, their parents completed eighth grade before dropping out
–60% of Scholars are science, technology, engineering, or math majors
–In a survey, 84% responded that they believe young women in India should go to college because educating women creates change in society and that becoming independent is important

Each year, we support an average of 150 Scholarships in Gujarat, 100 scholarships in Rajasthan, and 50 scholarships in Uttar Pradesh and we are requesting the support of the Givology community to help us grow our program. We are requesting $50,000 to fully fund (four years of schooling) scholarships for approximately 30 motivated young women.

We distributed our first scholarship prizes in 2008 to two senior girls at Kadod High School. In 2013 we laid the groundwork to revamp and expand our scholarship program, which was rebranded as the Nanubhai Scholars program. In 2014, We selected 12 young women from schools across three districts in southern Gujarat. In 2024, we’ll award 120 new scholarships to young women across three states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. This will bring our total number of scholarships to 1,140 since launching the Nanubhai Scholars program in 2014. Our Scholars graduate and become doctors, engineers, nurses, police officers, social workers, veterinarians, teachers, agriculturists, lab technicians, pharmacists, and more. Once they graduate, they go on to improve their communities, serving as role models for younger girls in their villages, and they help to support their families. We’ve found that on average, Nanubhai Alumni more than triple their family’s income after graduation, which is significant given that the average Scholar family earns just Rs29,000 annually, which is less than one U.S. dollar per day.

To date, the Nanubhai Scholars program has paid for over 1,000 young women to attend college. The women have gone on to become doctors, engineers, nurses, police officers, social workers, veterinarians, teachers, agriculturists, lab technicians, pharmacists, and more. They have, on average, tripled their family incomes after graduating, allowing sisters to help support younger siblings as they pursue their own educations, and bringing financial security to their families.

The Nanubhai Scholars Program is an international collaboration led in the United States by Anita Patel (Nanubhai Board Chair) and Kate Saer (Executive Director). In India, the program is executed by Senior Project Managers Mr. Jaydeepbhai Mahida in Gujarat, and Dr. Vikram Mali, who handles both the Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh scholar cohorts. The India team is advised by a group of local Trustees. Collectively, the team brings over 50 years of experience in women’s education, women’s empowerment, and executing the Scholars program.

Nanubhai regularly receives 700+ applications for a limited number of scholarships. A contribution on Givology enables Nanubhai to scale the scholarships given to empower courageous, bright young women in rural India to pursue their dreams.