My #WomenOnAMission series aims to highlight the work done by exceptionally talented women from various spheres of life. And one such woman I'm really thankful to is Padmavati Pamarthy (Prathinidhi of Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust, Telangana State), who has been a part of my BWAP project. I learned so much about children's welfare from her.

She first started off as a teacher and went on to start her own school, where every child had to pay a nominal fee of 10 rupees. After which, she went on to work with the child welfare department, and then she became in charge of the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust. It's been quite a journey for her, and she shared her journey with me.

Talking about how it all started for her, she said, "My first struggle to exist is the struggle for my bread and butter, having two children's kids - three year old and one year old, I can't go out and work. For not being able to go outside to work, I started my own school. So I started my career as a teacher in my own school and also heading the school. But that too, in a slum area. I learned many things by working with the slum children. My experiences motivated me to numerous other issues like child marriage because after seventh class; I could not see the girls in the classes."

She further added, "Then I realised the problem, only when I went to their houses and I interacted with them and noticed they got married early. I work with those below the poverty line, people underprivileged a section of the society, most of the women and girls, children, but that motivated me with other innovations to help for the needy."

I wanted to know more about her different challenges that she faced. Speaking about it she said, "My experience of running school in a slum area. That is an eye-opener about the dire situations of underprivileged sections of the society. Mostly women health and women education, continuity of education, and also child labor. Because most of the parents are willing to send their children to English medium schools, but after second level, after coming to eighth and ninth, the class, they are not able to pay the fees prescribed by the private institutions. So at that stage, they can't go to the government school. So convincing them was the biggest task and bringing them back to the school also is very tough."

I think from a very young age, young girls and women, they are taught to always put other things above themselves first. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to transform this mindset. Transformational change is very difficult.

In the end, she also shared advice to the young women that they need to listen and it helps them flourish in life. She said, "Women must love themselves first. They must have clarity and then they must prioritize the needs and their necessities. Every child has the right to express, not only vulnerable children each and every child must be able to express what they want. They must know how to express, know how to say 'No', everybody must know."

She further added, "So safety is being judgmental towards the gender. That should not be big, whether it is a boy or a girl who are facing sexual abuse, that is an abuse. Abuse is abuse. It is whatever supports the family, either. Out of the victims, society must be ready to extend the support."

When my BWAP project 10-9-8 was introduced so many children have been rescued through the help of this helpline. I also learned a lot about the kind of judgments that exist out there in society that are still so deeply rooted in people's minds and how important it becomes for us to change the entire system around us, it remains incomplete unless we build a society.

BWAP Project 1098 is ensuring that every district in the state of the landowner has a vehicle as one step in that direction.