Scholarships for girls from the Lila Poonawalla Foundation

August 9, 2016

The first Indian woman to secure a degree in mechanical engineering, she is a former chairperson of Alfa Laval and Tetrapak India. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 1989 and the Order of the Polar Star by the King of Sweden in 20013. Lila Poonawalla has achieved much in her lifetime. An empowered woman who belonged to the Hyderabad region of Sindh in Pre-Independent India, Poonawalla (nee Thadani) experienced several hardships to receive a formal education as a child. The lasting impact it etched on her made her start the Lila Poonawalla Foundation (LPF) in 1996 which aims to empower and educate more and more young girls. “I came to India after Independence and stayed in a refugee camp. I had no means whatsoever but strived to educate myself. I know what it’s like and I want to help girls who are in similar situations,” states Poonawalla.

The Lila Poonawalla Foundation is an educational trust in India whose vision is to contribute to the empowerment of Indian women by supporting academically outstanding and financially deserving girls, through scholarship to pursue higher education. Over the course of its 20-year journey, the foundation has awarded 8325 scholarships to approximately 4135 young ladies. “There is complete transparency in our system. We hold personal interviews with the applicants in order to judiciously choose those who are extremely passionate about studying and creating a bright future. Special consideration is given to those who belong to areas where there are no rivers or any form of irrigation,” explains Poonawalla. The Foundation provides scholarships to girls from Pune, Amaravati and Wardha district. The students are given a grant of up to Rs 1 lakh per year for completing their undergraduation and postgraduation education in various fields of science, pharmacy and nursing.

“The aim is to make them self-reliant by building a profession for themselves. We provide them with a scholarship that encompasses their fees, uniforms, shoes, sweaters, raincoats, school bags, books, cycles etc,” adds Poonawalla. The Foundation takes into regard that some of the girls belonging to the lower income section of society may not be fluent in English. Thus, along with the financial aid provided, the candidates attend training sessions organised by LPF, which include language and soft skills.

More information at: www.lilapoonawallafoundation.com