A young girl's questions can change the world

A child’s natural tendency to question their surroundings, can have a profound impact on the development of communities. Seema, a young girl from a village in Uttaranchal, Northern India, triggered the village authority to solve a problem that had burdened the community for years.

Seema’s mother asked her to go and get water from the neighbouring village pond, day in and day out. Usually a shy girl, one day she asked an important question: “Why don’t they repair the water tap in our village?”

Her question made her mother angry: people in the village have always accepted things as they are. She dared her daughter to get the village water tap repaired, presuming that this would be enough to quieten her: “Can you meet the village Sarpanch and tell him about it?’’

Seema took up the challenge. She met the Sarpanch, and gathered the village elders to write a memorandum to the district authorities to get the village tap repaired. As a result of this pressure, the village administration took action and repaired the tap.

Recounting the story proudly, the young Seema said: “I don’t know whether what I did was anything extra-ordinary. I just wanted to relieve our burden!”

Because of her untiring efforts, the village tap that remained dry for several years has started flowing again. Now all the village women are saved their long daily walk for water.

Seema proved that a child’s natural tendency to question their surroundings, can have a profound impact on the development of communities.