Bihar girl to perform at Unicef function in UK

Indo-Asian News Service

Patna, December 10, 2005
A poor girl from Bihar has been selected by UNICEF to represent the
children of India at a function in London on December 14 for the
release of its annual report.

Guriya Khatoon, 14, a resident of Gaya district will attend the
release of UNICEF's 'State of the World's Children 2006' report.

A Class 7 student of the Mahila Shiksha Kendra in Gaya, Khatoon
hails from a poor Muslim family and lives with her mother who works
as a labourer in nearby villages to earn a livelihood.

Her father was disabled in an accident about five years ago and
moved to Mumbai with his relative, leaving the two in Gaya.

Khatoon's mother said that her daughter joined the Mahila Shiksha
Kendra a few years ago to study despite all odds and poverty.

"It was her sheer zeal to break the shackle of social exclusion that
made her a rare role model in her village," she said.

"It is great honour for Bihar," said Anjani Kumar Singh, project
director of the Bihar Education Project Council.

Singh said Khatoon will also address the function to share her
experiences about social exclusion.

Earlier, a Dalit girl from the state, Lalita, from the rat-eater
community known as Mushhar, was featured on the cover of
UNICEF's 'State of the World's Children 2004' report.

She was the first girl from India to get the rare honour.