My Capstone with UNICEF India

As part of my capstone project with UNICEF India and YuWaah (Generation Unlimited), I spent the week in India engaging directly with organizations, practitioners, and young people working at the forefront of development. What stood out most wasn’t just the number of meetings we had, but the depth of insight each conversation offered.

Spending time at skills centers, youth-led initiatives, and with organizations like Save the Children and Breakthrough India really showed me how complex this work is. Access to economic opportunities for young women can shift everything. Education and employment aren’t just about income—they create space: space to negotiate within families, delay early marriage, and imagine a different future. At the same time, these opportunities are shaped by structural barriers like limited transportation, social norms, and community pressure. This made it clear that economic empowerment alone wasn’t enough. 

I’m excited to carry these insights into the final report for my capstone and keep building on what I saw and learned.