Prakruthi NGO - Past Projects

our past projects

Prakruthi believes in the power of bringing people together to affect lasting change. We have consciously chosen to work in the most difficult circumstances and regions in order to reach the last child wherever they are. We use our impeccable research capabilities before designing our action-centric programs which lead to high-impact outcomes.

operation sadhbhavana

We were chosen by the Indian army as one of the partners for Operation Sadhbhavana in Kashmir.

Conceived by Lt.General Arjun Rai, aimed at weaning the youth of Kashmir away from extremism. Through this program, we worked on two main focus areas of education and youth & women empowerment. With an aim to provide equal opportunity to those unjustly affecting by terrorism by providing them with education and empowement opportunities.

The Indian army built state of the art infrastructure for us to implement our custom curriculum which was designed specifically for the region at 19 schools with a focus on an innovative, gamified elearning solution which ensured that the children learn through an indigenous lens while using the latest technology. The method of teaching will incorporate the social and cultural ethos of the region. “A for apricot” would be more appropriate than “A for apple”.

It was truly a unique project, not only did we create this educational opportunity but also mobilized volunteers from the cities to join us to change the lives of the children in sub-zero conditions.

Through this program, we also worked with youth and women who had attained adulthood with vocational and life skills through training for computer literacy, knitting, carpet making, English (spoken) training and interview training for jobs to ensure employability for them.

tamil nadu garment industry

we helped improve working conditions for young women workers and were responsible for industry wide reform.

In the garment industry in Tamil Nadu, there was a labour practice prevalent aimed at creating unfair working conditions for young women workers. Young girls, who had few or almost no opportunities to find gainful employment in their respective villages would work for 2-3 years with the promise of a measly lump sum payment at the end of their tenure with the organisation. These young women were alleged to be paid only as apprentices (trainees) well below the minimum wages fixed for workmen, without any statutory benefits in poor and unhygienic working and living conditions thereby violating their fundamental rights.

The team at Prakruthi along with partner organizations conducted an in depth study on this issue leading to a research report. This publication raised a host of serious intertwining issues and one of the focus areas identified was the need for a unified working group composed of all stakeholders in the garment industry to evolve a mechanism to audit the social practices of manufacturers several consultations among political parties, trade unions, NGOs, suppliers, manufacturers and buyers to arrive at a consensus for social audit.

Through this working group, we were able to ensure a complete reform of the system and young women workers were made aware of their rights and were given equal and fair remuneration while promoting healthy and just working conditions.

byrathi learning centre

we facilitated children and adults with non-formal education and life skills by way of a Community Based Training Centre.

This was started in the year 2000 and continued for 10 years at Byrathi village in the outskirts of Bangalore city with the aim to cater to the employment needs of youth and children from surrounding areas. Apart from the computer training, interactive sessions on soft skills and industry knowledge by practising professionals are also successfully imparted to the students for employability prospects.

research

Our research is towards and for action.

We strongly believe that the most impactful outcomes can be achieved when programs are designed and implemented not simply with an exercise of judgement but rather an activity keeping in mind the on ground realities and nuances while taking a macro perspective of the societal and cultural ethos. Thus, making it more effective, fairer and better suited to the context. We have done multiple research projects over the years leading to over 15 published papers which were leveraged to solve complex social problems cutting across the South Asian region

rehabilitating children in need of care

The situation of children who are lost, abandoned and missing is rather precarious and swift action must be taken to ensure they are returned to a place of safety and security. We worked with local authorities tirelessly to help find these children, bring them to shelter homes and where possible have them return to their families. As they face uncertain situations, we focus on their holistic development through expressive arts, English literacy and life skills.

child participation

We work with children to make them aware of their rights and duties and give them a safe space to express their thoughts and ideas. To this end, we were able to bring together 1200 children along with stakeholders to have a conversation about the policies affecting them.

training women

We work with women to help them live up to their full potential by providing them with training for vocational skills, completing their education and preparing them by enhancing their natural intelligences.