Her name tells her who she is. She hears it before she learns to speak. It defines how she sees herself, and it determines her posture in relation to others.
That’s why, when she is named “Unwanted,” the course of a low-caste Indian girl’s life seems fixed.
We felt stirred when we learned that in India, hundreds of girls who were named “Unwanted” at birth have been empowered with new names.
An article from Fox News describes the renaming ceremony:
The 285 girls — wearing their best outfits with barrettes, braids and bows in their hair — lined up to receive certificates with their new names along with small flower bouquets from Satara district officials in Maharashtra state.
You can read the full article here. This renaming ceremony is a small, good turn in a region rife with neglect, abuse, and exploitation of women.
Please continue to pray, speak, and give with us as we work to redefine the way women and girls see themselves, and to show communities that their “unwanted” women and girls hold tremendous value.