Pratham Aus Lighting the path to education of underprivileged girls in India

Will you #LightaLife this Diwali? 

Diwali – India’s festival of lights, is almost upon us. The lighting of lamps symbolises the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil, of knowledge over ignorance, of hope over despair. The light reminds us, even more poignantly in recent challenges, that however difficult life might seem, there is always hope for better things to come. 

So this Diwali, local charity Pratham Australia is calling on the Indian-Australian community to donate to their #LightaLife Diwali Fundraiser. Every time a donation of $20 is received, one more diya will light up. Every 25 diyas lit ($500) means one more girl or woman in India receives a Second Chance at education, giving them hope for a better year. 

Pratham Australia has set the goal of lighting up 250 diyas, which will change the lives of 10 girls and women in India forever with the aim to support the Second Chance program, which focuses on bringing disadvantaged girls and women back into the education system to complete their Grade 10 exams.

Pratham, an NGO, was started in 1995 by setting up balvadis (children centres) in Mumbai by Dr Madhav Chavan and Farida Lambay to educate underprivileged children under the age of five. Dr Chavan was awarded the WISE Award in 2012, which is the equivalent of a Nobel Prize in education.

Pratham AUS was set up in 2016 with the patronage of ex-cricketer Greg Chappell, AO MBE, journalist Peter FitzSimons AM, LBW Trust co-founder and chairman of The Chappell Foundation Darshak Mehta OAM, the Hon. John Faulkner and chairman emeritus of the AIBC Neville Roach AO.

Of India’s 210 million children, almost half are unable to read with more than 60 per cent being girls. Pratham’s programmes aim at improving the literacy of pre-school, primary and secondary school children as well as vulnerable children working in sweat shops, girls who drop out of school and also in upskilling for youth employment through vocational training.

Pratham is based on the firm belief that education is the fundamental right of every child and that no child should be deprived of this basic right. 93 per cent of every dollar donated to Pratham goes straight to the beneficiary.

Please follow the link and donate to lite up a Diya this Diwali and help underprivileged young girls in India complete their school education:

https://www.pratham.org.au/diwali-fund-raiser

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