Advancing Gender Equality in India

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) works to address the root causes of child, early, and forced marriage (CEFM) and advance gender equality in India through a comprehensive "Four A's" approach: strengthening girls' aspirations, agency, access to resources and services, and the availability of supportive institutions and opportunities. Recognizing that delaying marriage alone is insufficient, AJWS seeks to expand girls' choices and enable them to pursue education, employment, leadership, and lives of their own choosing.

To achieve this, AJWS supports grassroots feminist organizations and women’s and girls’ collectives that create safe spaces for learning, peer support, leadership development, and collective action. Through these collectives, women and girls build knowledge of their rights, challenge discriminatory social norms, strengthen their decision-making capacities, and advocate for social and political change in their communities. By fostering individual empowerment alongside broader community transformation, the program aims to address the structural inequalities that perpetuate gender discrimination and early marriage.