“Education is the key that unlocks the golden door to freedom.”
—George Washington Carver
SAHAY’S inspiring stories, from struggles to achievements and their endeavours to give the youth a sustainable future, are, perhaps, a precedent of this. A journey that started in 1989 with the mission to invest in children and youth, SAHAY has devoted itself to the upliftment of over 60,000 underprivileged students and has alone reached the 13,000 mark this year. SAHAY, 35 years ago, embarked on a mission to develop, enrich and change the lives of economically disadvantaged children by incorporating education and life skills and providing adequate healthcare access. Education is the pillar of a responsible and empowered community, and this organisation is taking conscientious measures to ensure a fair and viable future for all.
SAHAY works on the principle of a multi-year child sponsorship programme and offers multiple grants and scholarships to bright and young minds so that they can change their foreseeable future and embrace a transformative leap that would take their dreams to newer heights in the right direction. Currently, the organisation is concentrated on a smaller number of districts, but it has plans to expand to other districts in West Bengal and at least one more state in Eastern India in the future.
Talking to The Statesman, Pinaki Ranjan Mitra, executive director of SAHAY, said, “It is an undeniable fact that if we want to create lasting change in our country, the only way forward is to empower the younger generation. We must ensure that every child and youth in India has the tools and support they need to thrive and succeed.”
While parents and loved ones are the pillars of a child’s aspirations and dreams, helping them nourish and nurture them and, in turn, making their future brighter, often parental financial and economic constraints have a huge impact on a child’s achievement orientation. This is where SAHAY is a champion of change with its cohort of volunteers who form the backbone of the organisation and help break a child free from the chains of adversity. Along with providing all-around development to the youth, they have taken up the responsibility of educating and sensitising the community towards the remarkable journeys that each child takes in securing their future. “Parents and the peer groups have a significant influence on a child’s thoughts, attitudes and beliefs. Hence, SAHAY offers awareness programmes for parents and caregivers too. Moreover, our success stories inspire the children and their family members. For example, when the son or daughter of a daily wage labourer becomes an engineer, a chartered accountant, or a school teacher, his or her success becomes a proud moment for SAHAY and the whole community. Many of the children have achieved remarkable success in life after receiving multi-year support from SAHAY,” added Pinaki Ranjan Mitra.
Among the thousands of youths who have attained their dreams with their help, Chandan Mukherjee is one such exemplary story. Hailing from a financially disadvantaged family in Diamond Harbour, he joined SAHAY when he was just three years old and has now made a remarkable journey to become a Sanskrit faculty member at IIT Roorkee.
Another story is of Suhana Ali, who joined SAHAY at the tender age of four years due to financial constraints with her father working hard to provide for the family; she was determined to achieve her dreams and is now pursuing a BSc in Nursing. While elucidating on her journey of being associated with SAHAY for almost 18 years, she stated, “My journey with SAHAY started when I was too small to understand what SAHAY was and how much of an impact it would have on me. During the course of my journey with them, we were not only provided with the right nutrition and education, but we were also given thorough classes on spoken English, soft skills, and much more, which helped us come out of our shells. The grants and scholarships that I used to receive were extremely helpful. While I am still on the course of fulfilling my dream, I plan to stay associated with this organisation and help other youths of today attain their dreams.”
At this organisation, volunteers are the heart and soul who not only handle a major portion of the day-to-day operations but are the biggest community heroes. Along with the organisation, the volunteers play a major role in raising awareness among the underprivileged part of society, who are often bound by their conservative notions, often resulting in fear and discouragement, in how crucial it is to offer transformative and holistic development to their children. Talking to The Statesman, one of the volunteers, Tanima Sen, who had been working with SAHAY as a volunteer for almost four years now, stated how, for her, every day at SAHAY is not just an opportunity to inspire the youth and contribute to shaping and building the dreams of tomorrow’s changemakers but is also a day of learning—learning how tenacity, courage and will can help transcend the boundaries of social and economic constraints. According to Pinaki Ranjan Mitra, “The volunteers play a force-multiplier role for SAHAY’s core team. They help us to take SAHAY’s programmes closer to the community, strengthening our connection with the beneficiaries and their families. Our social mobilisers, volunteers and former youth beneficiaries help create a supportive and progressive environment for young children. The parents of the sponsored children want their next generation to break the cycle of poverty.”