I am Anushka Sarkar, and I hold a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from VIT, Vellore, and a master’s degree in biomedical sciences from Rutgers University, USA. With a strong technical foundation in biomedical research and development, I am eager to apply my scientific expertise in roles that combine technical knowledge with strategic decision-making and community impact. I am starting an internship with Hamari Pahchan, a Delhi-based NGO working to empower underprivileged communities through initiatives across education, healthcare, women empowerment, elderly care, legal aid, and environmental conservation.

During my internship, I hope to contribute to their menstrual health and hygiene program, ‘Sukhad’. Limited access to resources, combined with a lack of awareness and social stigma around menstruation, plays a significant role in reproductive health and hygiene issues, especially in underprivileged communities. Through the Sukhad initiative, Hamari Pahchan has distributed over 95,000 hygiene kits and conducted open-space educational and awareness sessions for women on good hygiene practices and the proper use of sanitary products.

I firmly believe that extending the conversation about menstruation to men is equally important to tackle the stigma associated with menstruation. Educating boys about this from a young age will help them understand menstruation as a normal biological process and reduce the perpetuation of the silence, teasing, and misinformation that fuel the stigma. Educating and sensitizing adult men to this can help create supportive households where women don’t need to hide their hygiene and medical needs regarding menstruation. During my internship, I would be keen to take the initiative to introduce awareness sessions on menstruation for men, not just girls. I would like to help propose and design age-appropriate educational sessions about menstruation, menstrual health, and challenges faced by women to boys in schools, and open-space awareness sessions for men in underprivileged areas. Additionally, I would like to introduce the distribution of sustainable and cost-effective sanitary products like menstrual cups, which can last for several years with proper care. This would also include educational sessions about the use and maintenance of the product.

Education isn’t just about reading books or taking exams—it’s the foundation everything else rests on. It shapes futures, gives people the power to change their lives, and brings real growth to entire communities. Even with the strides India’s made, the truth is, far too many kids still can’t get the education they deserve. Getting every child into school isn’t just some ideal—it’s something we all need to step up and do.

For kids growing up without much, school can mean everything. It’s hope. It’s the chance to learn skills, build confidence, and break the cycle that keeps families stuck in poverty. When a child gets an education, they’re way more likely to land a steady job, make smarter decisions, and actually give back to the people around them.

But the road isn’t smooth. Money troubles, a lack of schools and teachers, deep-rooted social divides, even something as basic as missing classrooms—these issues push kids out of school before they’ve had a real shot. That’s why groups working on the ground to close these gaps are so important.

Hamari Pahchan NGO is one of those groups making a real difference. They focus on making sure every child, no matter where they come from, gets a fair shot at education. Their main program, hands out study materials, connects kids with mentors, and gives them the support they need to stick with school and actually believe in themselves.

It goes beyond just helping a few kids. A country with educated people is a country that moves forward—economically, socially, creatively. Where kids get to learn, you see healthier, tougher, more independent communities. Putting time, energy, and resources into education now means the whole country gets to rise.

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Imagine a child waking up at dawn — not to pack a school bag, but to head to a construction site or a farm. This is not fiction. It is the daily reality for millions of children across India and the world. At Hamari Pahchan NGO, one of the most recognized names in social work and the Best NGO in Delhi, we believe that no child's future should be decided by the circumstances of their birth.

The Numbers Are Sobering

The latest UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report paints a stark picture. As of 2023, globally 272 million children and youth are out of school — with 78 million of primary school age, 64 million of lower secondary age, and 130 million of upper secondary age. (UNESCO) Even more alarming, the out-of-school population has reduced by only 1% since the Sustainable Development Goal on Education was adopted in 2015. (UNESCO)India is not untouched by this crisis. Around 46 million children in the 6–17 age group are currently out of school in India, representing approximately 17% of that population. (Education for All in India) While dropout rates at the primary level have improved, the national secondary dropout rate stood at 11.5% in 2024–25 — representing hundreds of thousands of children leaving school before completing their education each year. (Teachers Institute) Girls are disproportionately affected: over 29.8 lakh out of 65.7 lakh children who dropped out in the last five years were adolescent girls. (21K School)The reasons are familiar — poverty, child labour, early marriage, distance to school, and the simple fact that families in survival mode cannot prioritize classrooms.

The Cost of Inaction

Out-of-school children and educational gaps cost the global economy $10,000 billion a year, according to UNESCO 2025. (Global Partnership for Education) Each additional year of schooling a person completes yields 10% more income on average. Education is not charity — it is investment.

What Hamari Pahchan NGO Is Doing

Hamari Pahchan NGO has consistently worked at the grassroots level in Delhi and beyond, bridging the gap between marginalized communities and quality education. Through awareness campaigns, digital literacy programs like GadgetShaala, and community outreach, the organization is turning the tide — one child at a time. Whether it's enrolling a first-generation learner or equipping a dropout with vocational skills, every effort counts.

What You Can Do

Women- not just a gender but the embodiment of strength, resilience and nurturers; get limited to household roles because of the societal stigmas. Their roles in the society get overshadowed by norms which undermine their capabilities. Self-reliance sounds as an alien term for women buried deep under the claws of oppression. But self-reliance is the key for women to experience freedom in its true sense. The women of the marginalized communities face struggles, backlashes and many more in their journey to attain self-dependence. Women have always been taught to put their family and the society first rather than dreaming to do something big for themselves. Their hopes for creating an identity of their own are crushed by the pressure coming from their own people many a times. But, if they are guided, financially supported and motivated then they can fulfill their dreams much easily.

The empowerment of the women of a country determines its progress. Female entrepreneurs are the future. They need encouragement ranging from simple words to mental support along with financial schemes for contributing better to the society as well as creating a bigger self-image. Initiatives both big and small can very much help in this matter; one such initiative- Sashakti has been taken up by Hamari Pahchan NGO, the best NGO of Delhi known for its social work.

Sashakti is a women’s empowerment and skill-development initiative run by the NGO Hamari Pahchan, aimed at helping underprivileged women become more self-reliant and financially independent. It’s built around teaching marketable skills, boosting confidence, and creating pathways for income through entrepreneurship and employment opportunities.

What Sashakti Does?                                                                                          

Vocational Training Workshops: Women receive hands-on training in practical skills that they can turn into income-earning activities. Examples include makeup artistry, candle making, diya painting, crochet, embroidery, and small-business crafts.

Business Mentorship & Support: Beyond skills, women are guided on how to sell products, manage a small business, and source tools or materials.

Encouraging Atma-Nirbharta (Self-Reliance): The initiative focuses on helping women gain economic independence, which strengthens their position within families and communities.

Sashakti aims to reduce unemployment and economic dependency by giving women usable skills and opportunities to earn a steady income. According to Hamari Pahchan’s reports thousands of women have been trained through skill workshops.

In short, Sashakti is about transforming skills into strength and opportunity — building confidence, boosting income, and fostering self-sufficiency for women in underserved communities.

Rita, a young girl from a small Delhi neighborhood, loved going to school. But when she turned 14, her family thought she should stay home and help with household work. She felt her dreams slipping away. That is, until she met Hamari Pahchan NGO, an organization known as the Best NGO in Delhi for its work in women empowerment.

The team at Hamari Pahchan listened to her story and encouraged her to continue her studies. They also introduced her to skill-training programs that helped her gain confidence and learn practical skills. With their support, Rita not only returned to school but also began teaching younger girls in her community. Today, she dreams of becoming a teacher and inspiring more girls to follow their dreams.

Stories like Rita’s are not rare. Across Delhi, many women face barriers to education, work, and self-expression. Some are discouraged from stepping out of their homes, while others struggle with limited opportunities and social pressure. Without support, their talents and potential often go unnoticed.

This is why Social Work matters. NGOs like Hamari Pahchan focus on creating real change. They organize awareness programs, skill-building workshops, and community support systems to help women stand on their own feet. From teaching literacy to offering vocational training, their initiatives provide women with the tools to become independent and confident.

Women empowerment is more than just education or jobs—it is about freedom, respect, and opportunity. When women are given the right support, they can make decisions for themselves, contribute to their families, and even uplift their communities. Organizations like Hamari Pahchan NGO show that with the right guidance, a single woman’s success can inspire many others.