Pratham Boston Celebrates 10 Years

Close to 250 guests attended Pratham Boston’s annual gala on September 29, 2017. The event, held at the luxurious Intercontinental Hotel, marked the 10th anniversary of the chapter and raised $300,000 to support Pratham programs.

Chapter President Pratima Abichandani started the evening by reminding guests why they were there. “27 million children are born in India each year and two-thirds of them will not complete secondary education,” she explained, adding that their support would “make it possible for thousands more to receive better quality education and career opportunities.”

Avanti Nagral, who along with Sara Atske, Meredith Clark and Grace Weghorst researched, assessed and presented Pratham to their classmates, earning a $15,000 grant from Harvard University, shared her thoughts on what makes the organization so special: “One of the most wonderful things we learned about Pratham is that their solutions are very data-driven. It is especially important in the world today, where needs are so subjective, to have measurable outcomes.”

Attendees then heard from Nisha Sisodiya, a young woman who received seed capital and mentorship from Pratham’s Beauty Entrepreneurship program to open her own parlor. “Pratham has not only helped me turn my own life around but has helped scores of women like me who are unable to leave their homes to go to cities for jobs. Pratham has helped us turn a part of our homes into mini-businesses and ourselves into entrepreneurs,” she told the audience before receiving a standing ovation.

Summing up the optimistic mood of the night, keynote speaker Dr. Rukmini Banerji, CEO of Pratham, discussed the future of the organization: “At 23-years-old, Pratham is now poised, experienced and willing to try new things, and to jump higher than ever before!”

 

Read more about the event at India New England and click here to view more photos.