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Deeksha was born and raised in Delhi and comes from a family of six. She completed high school at the Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Shastri Nagar, where she was a member of the basketball team as well as Debate Club. “I enjoyed my school days a lot, and I started tutoring in my free time to earn pocket money,” she recalls.

Deeksha understands too well what sacrifice and hard work means. Her family lost ownership of their small shop, which was the only source of income they had after Deeksha’s grandfather passed away. She juggled between studying and part-time jobs.

Early exposure to work made Deeksha very active in high school, and as a result, she earned an opportunity to continue on to university through a partnership between the Global Give Back Circle and the Magic Bus India Foundation. “Being a beneficiary has given me exposure and has helped me to grow in a better environment. Life skills training and the workshops have really been helpful throughout my tertiary. I also learnt a lot from interacting with other girls in the program,” she says.

As a beneficiary of the program, “I also learnt that money is not the only way to give back and that one can give back through time and talent. I found communication skills, self-awareness, technical skills and time management skills, very helpful. Linda Lockhart and Alumni from Global Give Back Circle Kenya were really supportive. They facilitated workshops, practiced new skills with us, and motivated us a lot. In 2016, I got a chance to deliver a speech at the U.S. Embassy in Delhi during the launch of the Global Give Back Circle – India program. It was an amazing experience and I’ve learnt a lot since,” she recalls.

As a beneficiary of the ‘Circle,’ Deeksha was matched with a mentor. “My mentor, Pooja, has been very instrumental in guiding me in university. She is very
helpful and is like a loving older sister to me. We communicate a lot, and she responds as fast as she can to my messages and emails despite her busy schedule. I appreciate that she makes time for me. She is a good listener and guides me through many of my life decisions and challenges. I have made wonderful relationships through this program that I believe will last forever. By having a mentor in my life, I was able to discuss matters to do with my studies which I  could not do with my family, since they lacked the experience and knowledge. My family and I are thankful that she came into my life,” says Deeksha.

Deeksha plans are to pursue a PhD outside India, for which she is currently working towards. She says, “Global Give Back Circle gives wings to girls which help them fly. I am one of the lucky girls who received those wings as a blessing. I am happy to be part of this program and I will always be a part of it.”

– Deeksha

My name is Yvette, I am from the country of a thousand hills, Rwanda. I am a second born in a family of six children. I am a graduate of Gashora Girls’ Academy of Science and Technology, where I took Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as my majors. When I first joined the Global Give Back Circle – Girls Guiding Government Program, during our first workshop, we wrote on the first page of our journals, “My Leadership Safari”, and vowed to take part in the development of women’s involvement in all aspects of leadership. That is when I realized that this would be an experience of a lifetime.

Later, I was matched with the most interesting, and inspiring mentor I have ever had; Mrs. Kathy. Mrs. Kathy has been very understanding, and supportive. She has inspired me. She listens to my ups and my downs, my struggles in academics, and always gives me the most motivating speeches. I always feel like Mrs. Kathy is more of a mother, an advisor, and most importantly, an inspiration to me. It gives me the zeal to work very hard and make her proud of me. I was voted to be the Global Give Back Circle – Girls Guiding Government Rwandan Team Leader. I use the leadership skills I gained in the program, to fulfill my duties and responsibilities to my best.

Since we were encouraged to give back to our community, I decided to make this a part of my life. I volunteer to teach tech-skills to primary schools around our community, since it was the biggest skill we lacked, yet the most essential one. We teach computer skills to over 100 students in the Gashora community. I also volunteered to take part in activities that were carried out during the national commemoration week. Such activities included, construction of houses for Genocide survivors, participating in the Walk to Remember, working with organizations that are responsible of taking care of Genocide survivors with mental disabilities, to mention but a few. I also committed to use the first salary that I will get in my gap year, to pay for insurance for five families in my community.

I want to major in Computer Engineering next year. I want to come back to Rwanda after my studies, and contribute to the development of my own country in areas of technology. Thanks to the Global Give Back Circle and my mentor, I have such a bright dream to achieve.

– Yvette

I was born in a family of six siblings in Kirinyaga County, my parents, peasants farmers always worked extremely hard to make sure we got our basic needs and education.

My mother used to work on others’ farms to ensure we got a meal every day. I worked extremely hard in school with a lot of hope that this was the key to setting us free from poverty.

My family was among the ones which were considered poor in the village, when I scored 370/500 marks on the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education Exams and was supposed to join Mahiga Girls Secondary School.

I knew my parents could not afford the fees to take me to high school, even taking me to a day school would have been impossible. After the results were released, every one of my classmates joined high school, except me. I was left at home with no hope of continuing on to high school. By God’s grace after being home for a whole month, one of my primary school teachers offered to pay for my first term school fees. I joined form one a month later.

Turns out, high school would be the most challenging experience of my life. I was in and out of school due to lack of fees. Sometimes a term would go by, and I wouldn’t have attended one class. I almost dropped out of school in form three, but I never gave up. After four years of pain and tears, I managed to graduate high school and scored an A on my final exams. I had dreams of joining University but at this point my dreams became blurred.

My breakthrough in my pursuit for education came in 2012 after I got a scholarship for my university education through the Global Give Back Circle.

This was a great turnaround for my life; I was taken through an ICT course and later went through my tertiary education.

At university, I never struggled to pay my fees, books, accommodation, and upkeep and this gave me adequate time to concentrate on my studies. The ‘Circle’ wiped all my tears and gave life a new meaning.

As a beneficiary, I was taken through reproductive health workshops, life skills workshops and financial literacy workshops, which helped me manage my allowances and manage to take my brothers through high school. I was also taught how to write my story and I later discovered my great talent in writing. The ‘Circle’ empowered me to reach out to society and become a voice for the needy and the suffering.

In the ‘Circle’, I was matched with the most awesome mentor from Kenya I have ever met. Ms. Susan Muigai held my hand through it all. She was my guiding star when things appeared difficult, she became a sister and a mother too. She has always been there to listen and give advice. A month never goes by before we meet each other.

When I look back six years down the line, the Global Give Back Circle has changed my life, my family, and the society in general. It’s in the ‘Circle’ that I was shown so much love, taught how to give back to the society in time, talent, and treasure. I started a charity program called, ‘Give Back Mentorship Program’ through which I give back to the society; my give back commitment involves mentoring young students in schools, helping the aged, orphans and the disabled.

I graduated in December 2017 from The University of Nairobi with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. I have transformed from an at-risk girl to a nurse who will save lives, alleviate suffering, and be a voice for the weak.

The program has taken me through workforce readiness workshops, and I am now a ready to take on the world. I have been given wings to fly far and wide, since there are no more ceilings for me. I will give back to the society, by all means possible, as long as I live.

I thank God for the Global Give Back Circle.