ALUMNA SPOTLIGHT

She Was Expected to Marry at 15. At 26, She Achieved Financial Independence.

How courage, resilience, and the sustained support of Live 4 Help Foundation carried Anjali Kisku from a remote Santhal village to a career of her own.

Alumna Anjali Kisku (center) during a recent visit by Live 4 Help Foundation core members Debashis Das and Tarun Maiti (2nd and 3rd from left), joined by volunteers Suchandra Chatterjee (left) and Anirban Chattopadhaya (right).

Anjali Kisku came from Kayamati, a remote Santhal village in Bankura, West Bengal, where early marriage is common for girls her age. In a community where daughters are often married by 15 or 16, Anjali made a different choice. She stayed determined to complete her bachelor’s degree — and she refused to let it go.

That determination was tested during COVID, when her university shifted to online exams. Her father, a daily wage worker, could not afford a phone or data recharge. Swapno Uran & Live 4 Help Foundation stepped in and arranged them, financed for her education and Anjali sat her exams. It was a small act of support with a life-changing result: she graduated.

“In a community where girls are often married by 15 or 16, she chose education, built skills, and achieved financial independence.”

Building Skills, One Opportunity at a Time After graduation, Anjali set her sights on becoming financially independent. With support from Swapno Uran and funding from Live 4 Help Foundation, she completed a beekeeping course under Khadi Gramodyog and received bee boxes to begin. She even trained girls at Pandit Raghunath Murmu Abashik School — though the nearby forest and hilly terrain made beekeeping hard, as the bees often swarmed away.

She did not give up. Anjali trained in mushroom farming and cultivated it successfully. The Foundation recognized her talent for painting, encouraged her to create fabric-painted bags, and helped her sell them. Alongside this, she received basic computer training and coaching for job-oriented exams.

A Career of Her Own In 2025, Anjali was admitted to ATDC (Apparel Training and Design Centre), Kolkata, for a diploma course. She completed it in March 2026 and today works as a QC Supervisor in a garment company — financially independent at 26 and is a role model for the girls of her village.

Your Support Writes the Next Chapter Anjali’s journey began with something as simple as a phone recharged and grew into a career. That is the power of sustained support — and there are many more young women in villages like Kayamati waiting for their chance. A gift to Live 4 Help Foundation funds education, vocational training, and the everyday support that turns determination into opportunity. Stand with the next Anjali.

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Read more: https://live4help.org/category/education/