14-year-old Akanksha lives in Uttar Pradesh, India with her parents and two sisters, Jyoti and Asekta. All three girls share a love for studying, eating, taking selfies and playing Kho-Kho and Kabaddi (popular Indian sports).

Now in high school, Akanksha makes a 10-kilometre journey to campus every day — catching public transportation for some of it and walking the rest. And that’s on days when her parents can afford to pay her school fees. On days when they can’t, Akanksha must stay home.

Most girls in Akanksha’s village drop out of school because of barriers like lack of resources. As a girl advocate with the Right to Education (RTE) Forum, a girls’ education organisation supported by Malala Fund, Akanksha speaks at local forums and appeals to parents in her community to send their daughters to school.

In this episode of Roll Call, Akanksha introduces viewers to her life and family, and explains why she’s working so hard to complete her education.

Akanksha

is a 14-year-old student and girls’ education advocate from Uttar Pradesh, India. She loves spending time playing sports, especially Kho-Kho and Kabaddi.