17

Nov

November 14: Prayas Founders Day

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Children are special and special children are more special

Amitabh Srivastava

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New Delhi | Monday | 18 November 2024

November 14 became a cause celebrated for the entire social sector as Prayas JAC Society Centre, a confluence of many diverse but related streams celebrates its 36th Founders Day on this day.

As Mr Amod K Kanth, Founder and Mentor of Prayas, fondly mentions, the journey of Prayas is "a meandering journey of a river that takes over the streams that join it and becomes stronger and more formidable in the process."

In this case, the journey began in a hot summer of 1988 when a huge fire engulfed hundreds of Jhuggis in the biggest slum of Delhi Jehangirpuri leaving hordes of children orphaned.

Mr.Kanth in his capacity as Delhi Police IPS officer was one of the many officials who visited the spot as routine duty but could not sleep that night by what he saw. The idea of developing a centre to shelter these children at Jehangirpuri took concrete shape within days.

 

Article at a Glance
On November 14, the Prayas JAC Society celebrated its 36th Founders Day, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to social welfare. Founded by Mr. Amod K Kanth in 1988 after a devastating fire in Delhi’s Jehangirpuri slum left many children orphaned, Prayas has evolved into a beacon of hope for marginalized communities.
Initially established to shelter homeless and at-risk youth, it has since expanded its reach across 13 states, impacting 40,000 to 50,000 individuals annually through various initiatives in education, health, and livelihood. As the organization enters its 37th year, it emphasizes the importance of collaboration with the government and the voluntary sector to address gaps in social welfare.
The Founders Day celebrations include discussions on child protection and education, featuring esteemed panelists from diverse fields, underscoring Prayas’s ongoing dedication to empowering vulnerable populations.

Since he was also heading the Missing Persons Squad, he found that nearly 40/50 children were found on the streets of Delhi every day who could not be kept in Children's Homes but were homeless, school dropouts and some were juveniles who could not be tried as they had committed petty crimes.

This led to the formation of the Juvenile Aid Centre in the New Kotwali Police Station of Delhi Police on the lines of the Bombay Juvenile Aid Police Unit. This was done under the leadership of the great Humanist and Police Commissioner Raja Vijay Karan and another Humanist Police officer Mukund Behari Kaushal, who continues to guide Prayas as its Governing Body Chairperson.

The third stream into this confluence was the Shramik Vidyapeeth, the only organisation empowering adult education through skilling. The Delhi School of Social Work, which brought a human face to this group, added new dimensions to this amalgamation.

Prayas decided to organise its Founders Day on November 14, 1988, naturally, to coincide with Children’s Day.

As it enters its 37th year today it’s time for some stock-taking and introspection.

With a presence in 13 States/UTs, including NCT Delhi, Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Goa Dadar and Nagar Haveli, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and a dedicated staff of over 750, it is running 13 different projects.

Today the Prayas JAC Society is an integrated model for the social sector as it includes Five Units of Jan Shikshan Sansthans in Bihar, Delhi, Jharkhand and Andaman and Nicobar Islands to help mainstream marginalised youth in inaccessible areas and the Society of Prayas Sanchay Sansthan alongside the Prayas Institute of Economic Empowerment to support the employment of youth and generate funds for Prayas.

Its multidimensional efforts, taking a full 360-degree approach, have helped 40,000 to 50,000 persons per year through its hand-holding system.

Prayas acknowledges the importance of aligning with the Government and the social sector in the fields of education health, development and environment for the marginalised, neglected and disabled.

While we have cause to celebrate it would only be fair today to talk about what more could have been done.

The value of the Voluntary sector has somehow not been fully appreciated. Everyone has to realise that the voluntary sector penetrates those areas where the Government and the Corporate sector have not made much impact.

We also know that despite a robust GDP India’s rank in the Global Human Index is a cause for concern.

These aberrations and gaps can only be corrected by involving and trusting the Voluntary sector.

Cut to the celebrations:

To celebrate the occasion today at the Teen Murti Bhavan Prayas has organised two group discussions on

1. Child Protection and Child Rights with special focus on Street Children

2. Education, Skilling and Livelihood

A panel of eminent personalities from various sectors such as bureaucrats, police, legal fraternity and education are participating as panellists in these programs.

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