Shelter home celebrates six girls who secured admission in DU

On its Founders’ Day on Thursday, a girls’ shelter home in Tughlakabad felicitated six of its members for securing admission to Delhi University this year.

The girls, brought up at the Prayas Girls Home in Tughlakabad, had entered DU with multiple subjects at their disposal, with some pursuing Hindi while others pursued History and Political Science at its various colleges.

Thus, through the NGO’s Juvenile Aid Centre and the Skilling and Employment program under the Jan Shikshan Sansthans, they have been able to help over 50,000 children every year.

Also Read: In Pictures: The unseen lives of Delhi’s street children

Over its 37 years of existence, Prayas Juvenile Aid Centre has established its presence across 13 states and Union Territories through 13 projects, including those in NCT Delhi, Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

This remarkable journey was celebrated on Children’s Day at Teen Murti Bhawan, where the event brimmed with energy as children gathered from all corners.

Among the dignitaries present were lawyers Salman Khurshid and Colin Gonsalves, Sunita Reddy, an esteemed professor from Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Sanjoy Roy from the Delhi School of Social Work. Each shared their passion and dedication to causes affecting children, captivating the audience with their thought-provoking addresses.

Also Read: Cultural Kaarva’N: Visually impaired poets light up the arena with their talent and resilience

The real stars of the evening, however, were the children eagerly awaiting their turn on stage. Once the performances began, the atmosphere transformed into a celebration of India’s cultural richness. The stage came alive with world-class renditions of Garba, Rajasthani folk dances, Bhangra songs, and soulful Qawwalis.

The performances left the audience spellbound, with repeated demands for encores echoing through the venue.

Prayas’ founder, Amod Kanth, highlighted how the NGO’s journey was like a “meandering journey of a river,” which takes over multiple streams to become stronger.

Similarly, the NGO has been able to do the same, from forming a shelter home for children at Jahangirpuri’s slums, where the entirety of it was gutted in a fire, to now, where the organisation has spread its philanthropy across the country.