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The vision of a couple of committed individuals germinated in the slums of Kolkata in 1996 and led to the creation of Prayasam, an organisation which today reaches out to a million children. Vision & mission Services & Impact
Unicef, which parented the birth of Prayasam, continued fostering it for the next 10 years together with several prominent citizens of the city. The founders, after much deliberation, decided to tackle the problem of health with its Health for All mission.
In 2006-07, this registered organisation moved towards empowering those at the grassroots to actually learn to fend for themselves. From the municipal and panchayat areas of West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, Prayasam has today crossed over to several south Bengal districts, shaping peer leaders/educators.
Its dedicated team has ushered in significant lifestyle changes in these communities. Gradually, the children and "area minders" are beginning to mould the physical and social environment with which they live, thereby ensuring a brighter future for their families.
Prayasam's aim is to give a child everthing that is her/his right by acting as a catalyst between society and the children. Its vision of organising children of West Bengal into acting as agents of positive change is based on a unique model, propelled by its mission of "education for all through the process of each one teach one".
Having registered in 1999 with one nonformal education centre at Dakshindari in South Dum Dum municipality, Prayasam has advanced to providing education, nutrition, preventive health, mentoring and media training in 28 municipalities and one panchayat in 24 North Parganas the municipal areas of Hooghly and panchayat areas of Bankura and Purulia. From 5 volunteers, it now has 10 permanent staff and 66 temporary ones, as well as 15 committed volunteers. It also imparts media training to primary school & Shishu Shiksha Kendra teachers in a bid to check the alarming dropout rates in primary schools of Purulia and Bankura. Prayasam, conducts training to Instructors. Last year (2006-2007) 15 off-campus training programmes involving 1000 participants, have been smoothly conducted. The principal themes covered this year under the training programme include gender issues and training on Peer Education through Meena Communication Research Initiative.
Today, Prayasam's activities have spread to seven districts and assistance has come from the local government, leading business/corporate houses and citizens. Committed individuals from every walk of life have chipped in. Overseas funding agencies and global implementing agencies such as the UNDP, DFID, World Vision India and Lutheran World Service (India) have also been adequately impressed by its work and funded certain of its activities in a few districts. NGOs like Vikramshila Education Resource Society has also partnered Prayasam to strengthen and spread its peer educator concept.
Since its inception, the goal of the Prayasam team has been to ensure that "every child gets healthcare and living in a healthy environment".
Over this 12-year period, Prayasam has organised thousands of children in the slum areas to become peer leaders/educators, catalysing lifestyle changes within their communities. Focusing primarily on preventive health, sanitation and hygiene, these children (calling themselves area health minders) are changing the physical and social environment within which they live. Prayasam has developed a unique model based on children's right to participation and development wherein they act as agents of change by forming groups and spreading awareness within their community. The area health minders are supported by Prayasam with information, training and materials.
In a rare achievement, the secretary and the founder-director of the organization, Amlan Kusum Ganguly, was awarded the Ashoka Fellowship for his novel concepts on Area Health Minders. More recently, he was invited to present his concept at the Global Summit on Urban Population Health by the Rockefeller Foundation in Bellagio, Italy for his innovative solutions to urban health problems in slum areas. In December 2007, Piyali Mazumdar, director of Prayasam, attended a global conference in London on Safe Motherhood and Women's Health issues organised by Women Deliver.
As we look back on another year and reflect on achievements and obstacles, let us reiterate the key elements that make Prayasam unique: its replicable and strong foundation, a broad vision, encompassing an inclusive geographical approach, a complete coverage, coupled with close links and co-operation with the government.