Prantik Jana Vikash Samity

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Prantik Jana Vikash Samity, popularly known as ‘Prantik’, the English name of which is ‘Development Foundation for Marginal Populations’, has made a two-decade-long journey into the world of street and working children of Kolkata and some of its neighbouring districts. Uptill now we have provided pre-primary non-formal education to 32,016 boys and 33,862 girls, all in the age-group of 5-14. A little less than 10,000 (4,591 boys and 4,665 girls) of them have already been mainstreamed into various private and government-run formal schools. An overwhelming majority of their parents, relatives and guardians are engaged in an astonishingly wide variety of ‘unprotected’ economic activities. Even then many of them would do utmost to educate their children. This is the main source of our strength. Problems of health, nutrition and sanitation have also been accorded priorities in various government and INGO-funded projects since the mid-1980s.

In all, 10,302 boys, 11,353 girls and 7,900 community people have undergone periodic health checkups. Free medicines have been distributed to 10,047 boys and 11,900 girls. A total of 1,734 cases have been referred to nearby hospitals and medical centres. Through mid-day meals, 11,736 boys and girls have been given nutritional support. We work with our resolute community protagonists to fight out poverty, illiteracy and many other social maladies. In collaboration with similarly oriented grassroots organizations and various government-run urban and rural local bodies, Prantik has been striving to perfect the art of rights-based human service endeavour.