– ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill.
Pratham Chicago held its annual gala Oct. 4 at Meadows Club, raising $180,000 for its projects in India. The gala was themed “Celebrating Success” and according to a press release, having Kamal Hans of Rasaka Theater Company was crucial to the pledge drive.
University of Chicago researcher and co-founder of Edgeflip, Dr. Rayid Ghani, delivered the keynote address.
After the welcome by gala chairs Prabha Ravi and Nag Vaidyanathan, Dr. Raj Rajaram, president of Pratham’s Chicago chapter, dwelt on the successes of Pratham programs over the last 19 years in India, especially its signature programs Read India, Second Chance, Vocation Training, and Annual Status of Education Report, a survey of 600,000 children throughout India.
Ghani underscored the importance of analyzing data to plan educational programs and measure impacts.
Three beneficiaries from India invited to the event, told their stories.
Parveen Sayyed, who spoke of her struggle to rise from a kindergarten teacher, now heads Pratham’s national Urdu program based in Mumbai.
Rani Sharma, who worked as a Pratham Balwadi teacher at age 15, is now director for the Beauty Entrepreneurship Program. It has trained 3,700 women since inception in 2005 and helped many start their own beauty parlors. Sharma has moreover authored a Pratham book to help these women.
Pankaj Paudar recounted his humble beginnings in rural India and how Pratham trained him in the hospitality business. After working for the Taj Group of Hotels, Paudar returned to Pratham to teach at the Vocational Training Center in Aurangabad.
The evening dinner featured music by Funkadesi band. Organizers also highlighted #WHYPRATHAM, a social media campaign encouraging attendees to share messages about their personal connection to the organization.