Pratham India Education Initiative (PIEI) is India’s largest NGO dedicated to lifting millions of slum children from poverty by providing them with primary education and a head start in life. Founded in Mumbai, India, 12 years ago as a joint initiative with UNICEF, Pratham reaches an average of 200,000 kids annually. Supported by India’s largest corporations as well as thousands of volunteers, Pratham is active in India’s major cities and 12 states, with activities ranging from pre-school education and in-class instruction, to rescuing child-labourers from oppressive working conditions. Pratham trains hundreds of young women from the slums to serve as teachers and thus gives them a chance to escape the cycle of illiteracy, poverty and exploitation.

Why does Pratham focus on educating slum children?
These kids are among the poorest of the poor who often work 12-18 hour days just to survive or fend off starvation, and many of them are orphans or indentured labourers ‘sold’ to factory owners in the big cities by desperate parents in faraway villages. Since most slum communities lack even basic school facilities and other institutional infrastructure, the kids are trapped in an unending cycle of illiteracy, early marriage, large families, poverty and exploitation.

Young children who receive primary education are much more likely to stay in school and complete their education than those who do not, hence Pratham’s focus is on providing primary education that better equips the children for the future. Pratham’s approach is based on a low-cost model that can be replicated at any scale, and its success has earned it recognition from organizations such as the World Bank, CIDA, NOVIB (Oxfam) etc. The Indian government increasingly relies on Pratham to help protect the interests of indentured child-labourers and monitor the efficacy of its educational programs nationwide.

Low-cost mode of operation
Pratham’s low-cost model focusses on delivering educational programs in available space and facilities, often donated by slum dwellers, so that education is provided in a context familiar to the kids, by trained young teachers who are also from the slums. All of Pratham’s administrative offices and accommodations are donated, and by not spending on building schools and classrooms, Pratham can apply donated funds more efficiently (+80%) and directly to the kids’ education needs.

Corporate India supports Pratham
Pratham India’s Board of Directors is composed of some of India’s best-known corporate giants, who, through their support, recognize both the importance of early childhood education, and the impact that Pratham’s programs have had in cities all across India.

• Mr. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries
• Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group
• Mr. Vijay Goradia, Chairman, Vinmar International
• Mr. Rajat Gupta, Managing Director, McKinsey & Co.
• Mr. K. V. Kamath, Managing Director & CEO, ICICI Bank
• Ms. Rohini Nilekani, Chairperson, Akshara Foundation
• Mr. Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Nicholas Piramal Group
• Mr. Gautam Thapar, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, BILT
• Mr. N. Vaghul, Chairman, ICICI Bank
• Mr. Lakshmi Niwas Mittal, Chairman, LNM Group
• Mr. Keshub Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra & Mahindra