Making a Breakthrough for International Women's Day.

A small intervention at the right point in time can have a huge impact on society. That's the message from a new film showcasing the work of Breakthrough, an innovation in GIF's portfolio that works to address gender inequality and violence against women in India.

Released to coincide with International Women's  Day, the film was inspired by a learning visit to see Breakthrough's work in Punjab in late 2024. GIF and colleagues from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) witnessed first hand Breakthrough's school-based programme for girls and boys aged 11 to 14, which uses games, songs, drawing and other activities to discuss gender stereotypes, girls’ education, women’s employment outside the home and harassment. A randomised controlled trial (RCT) conducted by J-PAL in Haryana found that the programme leads to significant improvements in gender attitudes for girls and boys, as well as positive changes in boys’ behaviour.

This film shows how GIF’s investment in Breakthrough has helped it scale its operations to thousands of schools in India, reaching millions of girls and boys.

Breakthrough and J-PAL have secured tripartite Memoranda of Understanding with state governments in both in Punjab (GoP) and Odisha (GoO) to integrate the gender equality curriculum within the state education systems and roll out to all public schools. GoP has already contributed co-funding and significant in kind resources towards this scale up. The gender curriculum is now embedded in the state’s teacher training model and integrated into textbooks. 

GIF Investment Associate, Shreya Das, who narrates the film, says: “Gender equality is integral to the Global Innovation Fund’s mission. Every time we invest, we are thinking about women and girls.

“I grew up in India and I’ve seen how women and girls face inequality in their lives. It would be absolutely amazing is this programme could reach all the public school systems in India, because I think changing gender norms and attitudes is at the heart of how women girls experience life in the country.

“The data shows that the Breakthrough programme is having a meaningful impact.”