Skip to content 
The annual NGO CSW Conference marks a period of activism from thousands of non-profit organizations, fighting for gender equality. Specifically, this year, March of 2024, marked the 68th year of the conference, one in which Apne Aap was heavily devoted to. With a total of 5 parallel events, Apne Aap led panel discussions, created engaging presentations and even organized read-alouds for I Kick and I Fly, where Hundreds of women from all around the world were able to follow Heera’s story, and understand the importance of keeping it alive.
Our first event entailed working together with Pad Project founder, Melissa Berton in a parallel event discussing humanitarian aid for both menstrual sanity and anti-trafficking awareness. My first time participating in the conference, I took my seat at the front of the room, prepared to read two excerpts from “I Kick and I fly. As it turns out, the read-aloud provided the audience with a sensory feeling, invigorating an emotional reaction. Being a conference, it is easy to forget the real humanitarian experience girls in Forbesganj, India face. However, Heera’s realistic experiences reminded us of what we’re really fighting for: accessibility and equality.
While I read through the excerpt, thoroughly engrossed in it myself, a presentation was started up by two former Apne Aap interns, Mrunalini Mathur and Shahana Lal. Discussing Apne Aap’s 10 step program for providing equity to girls in Forbesganj, the presentation was the perfect informative approach to awareness. Starting from Ruchira’s groundbreaking documentary “The Selling of Innocents” as her inspiration, it discussed Apne Aap’s most recent developments including the 1 million meals program, where girls in shelters are able to receive free access to homemade meals. Most importantly however, the presentation emphasized the importance of urgent advocacy and the crucial impact of education globally, even in areas not plagued by sex-trafficking. This is because women are often the most vulnerable in scenarios where trafficking is a taboo subject to talk about.
Finally, the event finished off with a creative spin on Gupta’s novel I kick and I fly, from Melisa Berton and her students from Oakwood, California. Berton, both an activist and English teacher, wanted to experiment through playwriting with the novel. Together, she and her students compiled a 20 minute meltdown of the book, providing a real life 3D example of Heera’s experiences.
Ultimately, with activists all around the world in the discussion room, Heera (the last girl) was heard, recognized and understood by the collective community – a phenomenon we hope will be the case globally.
