C2C girls through the years
Sixteen years ago, C2C was founded on a simple belief: when girls have access to education and the support they need to succeed, they can create positive change in their own lives, their families, and their communities.
Since then, we have partnered with local organizations across India, Nepal and Bangladesh to help more than 10,000 vulnerable girls overcome barriers to education and reach their potential. Together, we have celebrated first days of school, graduations, college acceptances, first jobs, and many other milestones.
That belief has never changed. What has changed is our understanding of what at-risk girls need to succeed.
"We started out saying, 'We want to send girls to school.' But it's so much more complicated than that. The challenges run much deeper, and today our model does too."
— Sumana Setty, Co-Founder
Over 16 years of working alongside girls, we have learned that getting girls into school is essential, but it is only the beginning.
As underprivileged girls move through school and into adulthood, they often face new challenges. Financial hardship, family responsibilities, social expectations, safety concerns, and limited opportunities can make it difficult to stay in school, earn a degree, or prepare for a career - particularly during key transition points like moving from primary school to secondary school, from secondary school to college, from education to employment.
These lessons have shaped how C2C has grown.
Today, we provide girls with the academic support, enrichment, and skills they need to keep learning and prepare for the future. Through programs such as Spoken English, STEM Labs, Computer Science, Robotics, Vedic Math, and Life Skills, girls strengthen their academic skills, build confidence, and develop skills for life. As they grow older, girls can also take part in leadership development, career guidance, financial literacy, mentoring, internships, and workforce preparation.
As Sumana explains:
"It is not just about providing school fees or supplies or focusing on attendance, but about creating a deeper systemic shift that changes the trajectory of a girl's life. You have to look at the whole picture: why isn't she in school, and why isn't she thriving?"
— Sumana Setty
Together, these programs create a pathway that connects education to opportunity, and opportunity to economic independence and agency.
We describe that pathway in three stages: Access, Elevation, and Agency.
Access helps girls get into school and stay engaged in learning.
Elevation helps girls build the academic, personal, and professional skills they need to grow.
Agency helps young women use their education and skills to pursue opportunities, make informed choices about their future, and contribute to their communities.
Many organizations focus on a single stage of a girl's journey. Our model was intentionally designed to connect those stages. By supporting girls through the transitions between education, skill development, and career preparation, we help create a continuous pathway rather than a series of disconnected interventions.
At the same time, every girl's journey is different. Some girls need extra academic support or financial help to continue their education. Others benefit from career guidance, mentoring, internships, or workforce preparation as they get ready for college or a career. Our role is to meet girls where they are and provide the support they need at each stage of their journey.
As Co-Founder Sejal Gehani often asks:
"A lot of organizations focus on making sure a girl goes to school and graduates. That's important, but to us, we ask: 'What's next?'"
— Sejal Gehani, Co-Founder
That question continues to guide our work.
Success means helping girls stay in school, graduate, and prepare for what comes next. Graduation is an important milestone, but our goal is bigger. We want girls to leave school with the confidence, skills, and opportunities to continue learning, find meaningful work, move toward economic independence, and create positive change in their communities.
Today, we are seeing that vision become reality. Girls who once needed help staying in school are now graduating from college, becoming teachers, building careers in finance and technology, preparing for civil service, and mentoring younger girls in their communities.
Their stories remind us that education has the greatest impact when it is connected to opportunity.
After 16 years, the girls we serve continue to shape our work. They remind us that girls need support not only to get into school, but also during the key moments when they are most likely to fall behind or through the gaps. That is why C2C is committed to helping vulnerable girls continue their education, prepare for careers, and build brighter futures.
This year, nearly 3,500 girls are participating in C2C programs across India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Together with our partners and supporters, we are building pathways that connect education to opportunity and help girls turn their potential into lasting change.