#SecondChanceIndia | Mina Devi

Featuring – Mina Devi: Mina has fought her own battles against patriarchal norms and gender-based discrimination. She boldly took her Second Chance towards education, and this is her story as part of the UN Women’s Second Chance Education and Vocational Learning (SCE) Programme in Bihar, India. Mina is a Learner with the SCE programme. In 2018, UN Women initiated the development of the Second Chance Education and Vocational Learning (SCE) programme that would provide marginalized women who have lost out on an education with pathways to employment through a tailored learn-to-earn approach. The ongoing programme is aimed at empowerment of the most marginalized women who, owing to poverty and gender-based discrimination, have been denied access to opportunities at an early age. The programme undertakes a holistic approach to empowerment using the pathways of learning, employment and entrepreneurship. The SCE programme enables and offers women opportunities to (1) re-enter into formal education, (2) undertake vocational education and (3) receive entrepreneurship training and skills and 4) potential employment. SCE offers a comprehensive solution by adopting a holistic approach, leveraging partnerships at all levels, using innovative pedagogies and finance to achieve its objective. SCE is being implemented in 12 districts across 4 states of India – Bihar, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan, covering 200 villages.