( CNN ) -- Purnima lives in Nepal . She wants to be a nurse . But because she is a girl instead of a boy , she is more likely to go to work than go to school . In Nepal , government schools start charging tuition in the sixth grade . But Purnima was selected to be part of the Girls Education program with the nonprofit Room to Read and was able to continue her education . `` I am the first person getting an education in my family and my brother and sisters did not get the chance due to our family background ... we are from a poor family so we can not afford to go to school , '' says Purnima . Purnima lives with her family in a room above the carpet factory where her older sister works . Her father is paralyzed . Her mother became blind when Purnima was 2 years old . All her siblings stopped going to school after the fifth grade . Purnima is 17 and has just finished secondary school at the top of her class . In fact , she was at the top of her class every year . Purnima is about to start two years of Nepal 's post-secondary school and she plans to go on to college . For a long time , she wanted to be an eye doctor . Now she says she is going to be a nurse and she may have a good chance to do just that . According to Room to Read , about 76 % of its graduates go on to some kind of university , college or vocational training after secondary school . The nonprofit Room to Read start working in Nepal more than 13 years ago . The organization now works for gender equality in education and overall literacy in Bangladesh , Cambodia , India , Laos , Nepal , South Africa , Sri Lanka , Tanzania , Vietnam and Zambia . `` Help them see their dreams and put them on the path to success ... with the life skills , drive and understanding , we get girls to the next step , '' says Rebecca Hankin of Room to Read . Room to Read works to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among all schoolchildren . But it also tries to ensure girls have the skills and support needed to complete their secondary education . More than 7 million children have been given access to education through the nonprofit 's network of libraries and schools . Kamlari - Nepal 's modern slavery . Another obstacle for girls trying to get an education in Nepal is Kamlari . An illegal but still widely accepted tradition in Nepal , Kamlari is a system in which parents contract their daughters into indentured servitude for several years , often when the girls are as young as 5 or 6 . They work long hours and are often physically and emotionally abused . Purnima was never sold as a Kamlari . In Nepal 's Bardiya district , more than 600 ex-Kamlari girls are enrolled in Room to Read 's Girls Education program . How you can help Kamlari girls and girls like Purnima in Nepal : . Give . You can help girls like Purnima go to school and chase their dreams by donating to Room to Read 's Girls Education program . Thousands of girls in Nepal and other countries have been helped through school with books , school fees and mentorship . According to Room to Read , 96 % of girls in the program advance to the next grade . Get involved . Volunteer for Room to Read in your community . There are more than 50 chapters in the United States and abroad . Be part of local volunteer activities and fundraising . Even spreading the word in your hometown can raise awareness about the need for girls to be educated . Find a chapter near you . Impact . For even more ways to make an impact on education for girls around the world , check out CNN 's Impact Your World resources or take action with 10x10 . - More about CNN Films ' `` Girl Rising '' project . - More from CNN 's Impact Your World .
Read from Nepal has just finished at the top of her class in secondary school . Room to Purnima 's Girls Education program has helped 6 girls attend school . Purnima lives with her family in a room above the carpet factory where her older sister works . In Kamlari , parents follow tradition of Nepal , selling daughters into indentured servitude .