Projects
We have identified the following institutions that are functioning very well and that the people behind these institutions are lifetime devotees of their cause.
Maharogi Seva Samiti - Baba Amte
Established in 1949 by the great humanist Baba Amte, the organization started with the objective of providing leprosy patients humanitarian relief, medical treatment, training and rehabilitation. Today it also caters to the needs of the physically handicapped, visually challenged, deaf & mute, destitute children, senior citizens &
primitive tribes of the Madia Gond community.
Their motto is “Give them a chance, not charity”.
Samaritan Help Mission
Started by 32 year youth, Mamoon Akhtar, a librarian affected by polio in his left hand. He started the mission with few of his
friends, who were all slum dwellers, in 1999 with the motto HELP PEOPLE ON NEED NOT ON CREED to save the slum children from
falling prey to the drug mafia.
Parivaar Education Society
Parivaar is chiefly working for total care and overall development of homeless children. Parivaar Ashram is essentially a
community of children and Resident workers whose only aim is to love and serve the children as their younger brothers and
sisters.
Samparc
Main objectives of Samparc are Rehabilitation, Care and Education of Orphans, children of sex workers, children whose parents
are serving imprisonment and needy disadvantaged rural children, and (2) Rural Community Development.
Mahaan Trust
Mahan is the only organization dedicated to providing medical facilities to tribal population of Melghat. Melghat is a hilly forest
area in the Satpuda mountain ranges, where medical facilities are grossly inadequate (Doctor Patient ratio is one doctor per
10,000 people). The project is mainly managed by a young dedicated Dr. couple – Dr. Ashish Satav (MD-Medicine) and his wife
Dr. Kavita Satav (M.S.-Optholmology).
Snehalaya - Ahmednagar
Snehalaya is an outstanding example of how youth in the country can make a difference in the lives of the poorest & the most
neglected segments of society. Established in 1989, this organization focuses on women and children who are victims of
commercial sexual exploitation.
Snehalaya - Solapur
Snehalaya – Solapur was formed to provide proper education and to ensure overall rehabilitation of children from the red
light areas. As far as we know, Snehalaya is the only social institution to have received an ISO 9001-2000 certification.
Some of the other projects that Arpan supports are,
Amrapali Utkarsh Sangh, Nagpur
Amrapali Utkarsh Sangh is doing wonderful work for the education and over all rehabilitation of children from the red light
areas of Nagpur and is also working for the children of immigrant workers who work in 110 stone quarries located about 25 km
from Nagpur. They have successfully inculcated in these children a feeling of compassion and strong desire to help other
underprivileged persons, specially the children of the immigrant workers of Bihar and Orissa working in the stone mines
near Nagpur. In addition, they are conducting day classes near the mines for children of immigrant miners. However, due to
the fact that the immigrant miners go away to their villages almost three times a year for about 45 days each time,
they are building a residential school. These children can then stay there even if their parents go away to the villages.
Jeevantirth
Jeevantirth is actively participating in the “National Environment Awareness Campaign” since 1999. Jeevantirth is conducting
youth camps with the theme “Role of Youth in Rural Development” and facilitates the process like “Participatory Strategic Planning”.
The Pragati Andh Vidyalaya
Since January,1968 Pragati Andh Viyalaya has been rendering yeoman’s service in the field of Education & Rehabilitation of the
blind from the poor, rural areas.
Prayaas
PRAYAS’ is an institution dedicated to work for the marginal sections of community, to provide them proper develop mental
opportunities & try to relieve some of their pains. Prayas believes that equilibrium in all four dimensions of health – Physical,
Mental, Social & Spiritual, is an essential prerequisite for actualization of innate human potential and the contentedness in life.
Dr. Avinash Saoji regularly conducts free camps all over Maharashtra and trains people in the Art of Holistic Living.
Vishwa Needam Public Charitable Trust Jithu & Rehana, a sincere, honest & hardworking couple, started this organization with the immediate objective of education &
rehabilitation of children from worst slums of Rajkot. Their long term dream is that there should not be any slums at all. Their
approach is to reach the slum dwellers through their children.
Samata Mook Badhir Vidyalaya Partha Polke, founder of Samata Mook Badhir Vidyalaya, is an activist of Satara working for nomads. In fact, he himself belongs
to one of those deprived communities,'POTRAJ'. He started his work with no capital, when an incident of killing of a father of a
deaf and dumb twins took place. These children saw the incidence but could not speak about it except by the expression through
their eyes. Partha decided to devote his life for such kids and started a small boarding school in Satara.
Vasundhara Public Charitable Trust The main objective of the institution is to work in the areas of rural reconstruction with special exphasis on development of
scientific attitude in rural masses through a Mobile Science Laboratory, which carries trained Science Instructors alongwith
necessary laboratory equipment and material.
Adharshila Learning Centre A school, mainly for children of nearby tribal areas. It is run by a husband-wife team of Amit & Jayashree Bhatnagar
and assisted to some extent by another husband-wife team of Shashank & Karuna Kela. One of their main problems is
availability of the competent teachers, who can teach students by the method of experiential learning. They have devised
truly innovative ways like students of 8th class acting as the teachers for the students of 5th & even 6th classes.
