Patna, Dec. 10: Twenty-six year old Pooja Kumari is the proud daughter of Khedia village in Katihar district's Seemanchal.

She is the first girl from her village, where literacy rate is very low, to clinch undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

Pooja, along with many other girls from economically weaker families, today narrated their tales at a function held at the Bihar Industries Association (BIA) auditorium. Non-government organisations Bhoomika Vihar and Beti Bachao Andolan had organised the event.

Talking to The Telegraph, Pooja said: "I am the first and the only girl from my village to have a postgraduate and undergraduate degree. There was neither any high school nor any college. I had to face a Herculean task in convincing my mother for my higher studies."

As Pooja's father passed away when she was child, the girl had to support her family financially. Pooja's family had to depend upon agriculture for survival.

Similar is the story of Moni Khatoon, who had a hard time after getting divorce from her husband.

Hailing from Kursela in Katihar, she said: "I was married to a man from Uttar Pradesh in 2000. A few years after marriage, he abandoned left me. I had no other option but to come to Bihar."

Moni then had no source of income with three children to support. It was only with the help of Bhoomika Vihar members, Moni started a small business of cosmetics, cycling from village to village in Kursela.

Now, Moni and Pooja are both self-reliant, thanks to the help and support of Bhoomika Vihar.

Bhoomika Vihar director Shilpi Singh said women had a challenging life right from birth.

Highlighting trafficking of women, Shilpi Singh said: "Trafficking is an evil practice, much worse than Sati. Proper awareness can only fight trafficking."

Chitra Mudgal, a literary figure of modern literature, said girls and women were main targets of trafficking in India.

"Trafficking is generally done to sell girls for prostitution, importing girls from foreign countries and buying girls for prostitution."

Nisha Jha, the chairman of Bihar Commission for Protection of Child Rights, attending the workshop shed light on gender inequality in society.