The words independence and freedom are often used interchangeably. For billions of people around the world, freedom and independence are the bedrock upon which our lives, families and societies are built. If we think about it, most of our lives are structured on our freedom to get an education, earn an income and leave a peaceful or prosperous world to the next generation. These are among our highest priorities during our lifetime on this Earth.

But for millions in India, these freedoms are unattainable.

For girls and women across rural and urban India, the lack of access to education and employment means that their futures are bleak and they are denied the opportunities to be productive members of society while living out their purpose and earning the respect that they deserve. The next generation of Indians that are inheriting the planet are facing issues such as life-threatening pollution and the loss of forest cover that places their homes and lives in danger.

Independence Day and our future

This 2025, India celebrates 78 years of independence and in homes, schools, offices and communities across the country, people will be looking back on all that we have achieved together while being focused on how we can come together to tackle the issues we collectively face and overcome them for the betterment of the next generations. While Independence Day is a time of celebration, it is also a time to put our heads together and improve the future of its citizens.

Here are 3 groups of people you can empower this Independence Day!

Empower the girl child through school infrastructure

In homes across both rural and urban India, the girl child is still disadvantaged and discriminated against in her own home, school and neighbourhood. Despite having hopes and dreams for her future, she is often forced to drop out of school and contend with a future that is bleak and void of everything she wants. When schoolgirls reach adolescence and begin menstruating, the lack of toilet facilities in their schools means that they are forced to either stay home from school for an entire week out of the month or drop out of school entirely.

It is estimated that around millions of girls drop out of school each year in India due to a lack of menstrual hygiene management facilities such as toilets in schools that have running water. For many families, this is a time to take their daughters out of school permanently and this leaves the adolescent girl – who is full of hopes and dreams – confined to her home and stripped of educational and future employment opportunities to achieve her goals in this world.

United Way of Chennai runs Project Aakkam,, providing children with access to safe, healthy, which focuses on education. One of its objectives is to construct toilets in schools for children to have access to safe health and hygiene facilities. For girls, this means the ability to remain in school during menstruation and not be denied an education because of something as normal and natural as a period. This Independence Day, support project Aakkam and empower the girl child through school infrastructure projects: donate here!

Empower rural women through skills training

In many disadvantaged communities, women are denied the right to employment and the right to earn a livelihood for themselves. This is what the lack of educational opportunities does to half the population of the planet. It reduces their possibilities to the bare minimum and this impacts not only their own minds and futures, but also has adverse consequences for their children and families. Without the chance to improve their livelihoods, their impoverished condition often passes to the next generation.

There is a strong correlation between women’s education and the health and safe futures of their children. According to a World Bank report, women who have access to education and employment are able to ensure their children have better health, adequate nutrition, educational opportunities and the chance to improve their own futures. But it all begins with investing in women as breadwinners for their families and changemakers in their communities.

United Way of Chennai runs Project Thulir, and one of its initiatives is to train rural women in basket-making using banana fiber. The baskets that the women make are then sold, helping them earn a livelihood. The women battle hunger, poverty, and even domestic violence but since the project began, these women have become the main breadwinners in their families and have earned the respect of their communities. This Independence Day, support Project Thulir and empower rural women through skills training: donate here!

Empower future generations through tree plantation

Everywhere we look, extreme weather conditions appear to be creating disastrous conditions for people across the world. From landslides to forest fires, from droughts to floods, people across India are suffering from the effects of climate change brought on by the loss of our forest cover, for the most part. Rapid urbanization and industrialization invariably require mass deforestation, and this loss of trees impacts natural phenomenon and affects human health.

The value of trees cannot be overstated. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and release clean and breathable air. The loss of trees, therefore, naturally worsen our air quality and keep harmful pollutants trapped in the air that we breathe, causing illnesses such as asthma and severe respiratory conditions. Trees also trap water in its roots and the mass felling of trees lead to an excess of water during monsoon season, causing landslides and floods which destroy homes and take lives.

United Way of Chennai runs Project Valam which conducts a tree plantation drive using the Miyawaki method that involves soil testing and planting native species of trees in an urban environment. Using this unique method of planting trees and shrubs, a forest-like environment is created in a short span of time and this area of forest cover is effective in trapping carbon dioxide, clearing the air of pollutants and creating homes for animals. This Independence Day, support Project Valam and empower future generations: donate here!

Take action this Independence Day!

This Independence Day, your support to United Way of Chennai’s programs can make a world of different in the lives of people in need of support. Happy Independence Day!