Transforming Lives: Convergence and community impact with Pratham

This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to India and visit our learning programs in the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, meet with our dedicated teams and volunteers, and drop in on the first two days of the Pratham Youth Summer Program.

While I came away with many stories I could share, the most impactful experience was witnessing our “convergence” work in action – seeing how we’re bringing all of our programs together in a coordinated effort to meet the specific needs of each community, as identified by those on the ground.

Here are just a few of the standout moments from my travels.

Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu
I had the chance to visit one of our Community Skill Training Camps in self-employed tailoring where a classroom of women were learning the art of stitching sari blouses (pictured above). They would later learn how to sell as an income-generating activity. Some of these women were youth volunteers from our education programs, while others were graduates of our Second Chance program. All were women with high hopes and aspirations for bettering themselves and their families – and they now had access to skills development in their own communities, an opportunity they would not have had if they had to travel a distance to participate in the training.

Chhattisgarh
Here, I met with a group of learners in our Second Chance program in Chhattisgarh — several of the learners are mothers who participate in our children’s education program. They shared how receiving their “10th pass” (10th grade) gave them a sense of dignity, belonging, and accomplishment. They also shared their dreams of “earning beyond learning,” either by pursuing further education or starting their own businesses or revenue-generating activities — activities Pratham can now support as we scale our community model of skill development across India.

Odisha
At a community-based Creativity Club in Odisha, young girls were learning to extend their learning “beyond basics” – creating art from household objects and exploring scientific principles such as gravity and volume displacement. Some of the kids in this club conducted a household survey to better understand water sources and uses in the households of their communities. This is a great example of how we have been expanding our work well beyond learning for school and work, and into learning for life.

These programs in education, skilling and those focusing on women and girls, have been around individually for quite some time. What’s new is our ability to now offer them together in a coordinated way, allowing us to make a deeper, more sustainable impact within communities. The convergence of our programs is not just a strategy – it’s a powerful testament to what we can achieve when we listen to the unique needs of each community and respond with thoughtful, integrated solutions. The stories of learning and empowerment shared today are just a glimpse of the lasting change we are creating together. Thank you for being part of this journey.

If you have any stories about Pratham or questions about our evolving work, please feel free to write to us at reply@prathamusa.org. We’d love to hear from you directly!

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