About Ekalavya Bal Shikshan And Arogya Nyasa (EN)

Trust established in the year 2002. It is registered under Mumbai Public Trust Act 1950 – Registration no. E–3837, Pune, India.

Building Child’s Tomorrow – is our mission Statement. EN has constantly witnessed that these children carry a social stigma. EN wants to free these children of this burden and wants the society to accept them wholeheartedly. These children do not know much about the world other than the one in which they grow up. EN wants to show them the alternative mode of life, so that the child can come out of the filthy situations in which they live. EN wants to prevent a child from becoming a CSW or a pimp. We believe this is possible by promoting self–reliance and supporting activities that highlight the needs of the most vulnerable and distressed.

EN works for the children of:

• Commercial Sex Workers (CSW)
• Alcoholics
• Street children
• Single parents

At the moment Eklavya Nyasa takes care and looks after 100 children. There are three centres (Somwar Peth, Shukrawar Peth & Dhayari) where these projects are carried out. We feel that the number of the workers is less compared to the workload. We will be highly obliged if the remuneration of the certain posts will be paid to us (to be appointed).

The journey of Ekalavya Nyasa

Down the memory lane the journey of Ekalavya Nyasa arouses reminiscences of the children from so many deprived strata of the society. Ekalavya Nyasa has its origin in Aamhi Yuva - an NGO based in Mumbai. It all started when Renu Gavaskar, a young enthusiast noticed children (all boys) between the age group of 12 to 18 years requesting her from behind the bars to come to their institution. The institution was David Sassoon Industrial School, Matunga, Mumbai. At that time the children were called delinquent kids. Currently, the word Delinquent is prohibited in the book of law. A most positive change in the world of children.

When Renu Gavaskar entered the institution a new world was open to her which she aptly calls as her Vidyapeeth (University). David Sassoon showed her the way to go ahead in this field. She continued going there for a span of 20 years. At the same time she started visiting many corporation schools in the area as well as all the seven branches (including David Sassoon) of the Children’s Aid Society. She fondly remembers that during those days so many young groups joined her. Aamhi Yuva, an NGO, was established to create a better world for the little ones.

The Achievements

• A full-fledged Toy Library. Toys were made, polished and being played by the children. A small workshop of wooden toys was started under the guidance of a renowned professional Mr. Joshi at David Sassoon Industrial School. The workshop not only entertained children but also provided a little remuneration which helped them to stand on their own when their term was over in the institution.
• Education was provided only up to 4th std. at the institutional level. Renutai along with the volunteers started classes up to 10th std. and further extended up to 12th std. Renutai considers this venture as an extremely important one because it instilled a self confidence among the children. Other children who were witnessing this rapid progress had a ray of hope into their hearts that they would follow the same path one day.
• One more point to be noted was that the children were normally confined to four walls but a special permission was granted to attend the classes at an outside educational institution. The children saw the outside world and it was the most delightful experience for them.
• Birthdays – some volunteers accidentally came to know the fact that many children were not aware of their date of birth. Consequently they were not familiar with the celebrations of their birthdays. The issue was discussed at length and it was wholeheartedly decided that birthdays would be celebrated to impart a sense of identity to the kids. As mentioned earlier the dates were not known so the children were consulted and amicable dates were fixed. They were connected with some outside birthday and grand celebration every month started taking place. Many people appreciated this idea and helped us a lot not only in financing but also being a part of the function.
• A drama – the birthday celebration paved the way to undertake many cultural activities. A noted singer Ms. Varsha Bhave accepted the challenge and started preparing for drama to be presented. The word challenge is specially mentioned because the children were absolutely ignorant of the word ‘Drama’ (Natak). It took about six months and finally the drama was presented on a professional stage. It was a grand success. At this juncture a few words have to be penned about the great efforts put in by some of the people involved in the endeavor. Here I would like to mention Ms. Indrayani, the chief support of the trust. She has done her masters in Social work and has proved to be the strongest pillar of Ekalavya Nyasa. She handles so many jobs including teaching, administration, project writing and last but not the least looking after children in an affectionate way. The children are extremely attached to her. Her service for the last two decades goes a long way in the success of Ekalavya Nyasa.
• IPH (Institute for Psychological Health): The institute headed by Dr. Anand Nadkarni, a renowned Psychatrist has undertaken the task of creating a documentary on the achievements of Ekalavya Nyasa. The film is complete and ready for screening. Ekalavya Nyasa feels the film will add positively to its achievements and will help in reaching its goals.