Honoring international women and one of our own

In honor of International Women’s Day, we wanted to lift up and give thanks to one of our own heroes.

A history of advocating for women in India

Gracy Andrew is based in India and has been involved with CorStone since it’s inception in 2009.

Gracy has also been the India Country Director since 2012 and one of the leading champions of resilience training for youth in India.

We recently asked Gracy a few questions about her work and where she finds inspiration from other women.

Who are some women that inspire you?

Women in history whom I find inspiring are Marie Curie, who against all odds, managed to become one of the greatest scientists and made astonishing discoveries.

Joan of Arc and Laxmibai—the Rani of Jhansi—are also inspiring because they displayed immense courage at a time when women were never expected to rise.

In my personal life, I have always been inspired by my mother who was a very strong and hard-working person. She was nicknamed ‘the iron lady‘ by our entire family.

What do you enjoy about the work that you do?

By training, I am a Clinical Psychologist. For many years I saw a lot of young people in my clinic and interacted with youth in schools and colleges in my hometown.

I always felt that young people have so much power in them, so much energy—they just needed a little guidance. Unfortunately, the focus is too often on what is wrong with young people.

Adolescents are frequently looked at as being in a ‘problem age’ that needs to be fixed. I was disappointed with the approaches that were prevalent in helping or guiding youth until I became aware of CorStone.

The proven programs that CorStone conducts help young people find their true potential by helping them understand that they have fantastic and underused assets, not just issues.

“I was disappointed with the approaches that were prevalent until I came across CorStone, which conducts programs that help young people understand they have assets, not just issues.”
Gracy Andrew | CorStone India Country Director

Why is it important to ensure that girls have the same access to education as boys?

I think that equality is something we should always strive for not just in education but in every opportunity available.

Girls have been subjected to discrimination for so many centuries and patriarchal norms are embedded so deeply within our societies that women themselves very often are not aware of their rights and their potential.

If girls are given equal opportunities, we would see progress in all spheres.
Girls have been subjected to discrimination for centuries #change #resilience #results Click To Tweet

But having said that, I would also like to add that as we begin providing opportunities to girls, we also need to work with men and boys so that they understand why it’s important for girls to have equal opportunities. The result requires support by men for these efforts in order to deal with the transition in their roles and privileges.

Recognition of results

Thank you, Gracy, for all you do! CorStone would not be as successful in transforming the lives of so many young women throughout the world without your amazing hard work.

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