Founded in 2019, PRAYAAS is an initiative by a group of friends from Kolkata, the motives of this initiative is to make sure that no one is deprived of basic needs of a better living such as proper education for children, proper hygiene to females, medical needs for those who cannot afford to buy medicines or go for pathology testing or even visit a doctor due to shortage of money.
We have taken a pledge to help these under privileged people, who needs us at these moments so that money does not become the cause of their suffering.
We also welcome donors / volunteer, who are willing to help and be a part of this noble cause. WE are committed for a minimum one event every month.
Come join in to make this society a better place to live for those below us and be a part of this cause. Any kind of suggestion is welcomes into this matter.
Our Moto and Mission
To do our best in the field of Medical Help – Specially in Pathology, Doctor & Medicines so that the Needy, backward, underprivileged families &children living below the poverty line are able to get themselves treated medically and integrate seamlessly into mainstream society. Tohelp in providing basic education to needy, backward & underprivileged children and their overall development, including skill building, and to provide avenues for employment that are suited to every child’s dominant intelligence and strengths.
Our Mission Statement
To provide medical help and education aid and empower needy and underprivileged families &children and support them for seamless integration into mainstream society.
Our Values
- Compassion
- Integrity
- Empowerment
- Equality of opportunities
What We Do
The needy families & children are provided medical & educational aid post all necessary due diligence. We at PRAYAAS try to achieve this through following areas of intervention.
Medical Aid
PRAYAAS aspires to address the medical need of every needy family &child by providing assistance in PATHOLOGY & MEDICINES requirements including doctor check-up on case to case basis.
Education
PRAYAAS aspires to address the academic need of every needy child. In addition to paying fees and providing school supplies, we individually assess each child to identify core strengths and build independent study skills.
Food & Fruits Distribution
With the support and assistance of volunteers from the community,PRAYAAS also ensures that every needy child receives nutritious snacks, food packets, fruits etc.
Why ?
In West Bengal, nearly five million people live in slums, and about one third of slum dwellers fall below the poverty line. Most children are first generation literates. Poor quality of education in government schools and rising school fees year after year have led to steep dropouts at primary and secondary levels.
- Average education of parents - grade 5 (Bengali Medium)
- Average monthly income - 8,000 Rs per month
- Teacher-student ratio- 1: 30 teachers to students
Who are the children we sponsor ?
These children whose parents typically work as house maids, vendors, painters, tailors are from the lower-income group. In most cases, it is a single income family consisting of 4 to 5 children with the parents struggling to educate at least one or two of them. While most children are first generation literates, it is apparent that the parents have neither the time nor the awareness to attend to the children. Most of the time whenever there are financial crises in the family the children are pulled out of school to do proxy work for their parents. This is worse for the girl child whose education stops abruptly when she attains puberty. Moreover, the parents are unable to afford the fee hikes that take place when the children move to higher classes. In such cases the children are withdrawn from school. In such cases PRAYAAS steps in to ensure that the child’s education is guaranteed subject to all necessary due diligence and approval by committee members.
How do we select children for sponsorship ?
PRAYAAS sponsors hardworking and dedicated children from various government aided schools directly or children from poor & needy families. Our team interviews and test before selecting the child. We are proud to have a long waiting list of children who want to avail our sponsorship. However, we deliberately restrict our numbers so that every needy child gets more and more interventions. At PRAYAAS our endeavour is also to ensure educating and empowering underprivileged girls. However, when we sponsor a needy girl this year, we take her sibling the next year, irrespective of the gender. We believe that this will help in upliftment of an entire family.
How do we select families for medical aid ?
PRAYAAS selects families for medical aid on the basis of need and requirements of medical aid being Pathology diagnostics, medicines and doctors. The committee members and volunteers recommend needy and deserving families based on which the aid is granted.
What does the name mean ?
PRAYAAS yet to be registered and named PRAYAAS means effort in direction towards giving back to society. Our logo has the helping hand to symbolize our effort to help the society and the tagline SERVICE TO HUMANITY is self-explanatory towards the cause and objective of every needy human to have right to Medical and Education.
Future Plans
Life Skills
PRAYAAS to provides life skills to children to enable them to effectively handle the demands and challenges commonly encountered in daily life. One on one and Group Counselling also to be provided to ensure emotional well-being and positive mental health of the children.
Mentoring
Professionals from various organizations to mentor the senior students at PRAYAAS. This will enable them to gain self-confidence and develop employability skills. The Senior students also mentor the junior children by teaching and engaging them productively.
Health
PRAYAAS to also organises routine health camps and vaccination drives against Typhoid, MMR and Hepatitis B. Every child toprovide with protein mix as a dietary supplement regularly. To assess overall improvement, height and weight of each child is to be recorded at the beginning and end of the academic year.
Financial Inclusion
Financial literacy and independence ensure a strong foundation for building dreams. PRAYAAS to enable every child and their mother to have and to operate a bank account.
We can't promise to fix all your problems, but we promise you won't have to face them alone.
